


Paper in Fire

by UP2L8



Series: The Paper in Fire Collection [1]
Category: Fullmetal Alchemist
Genre: Adventure, M/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-09-08
Updated: 2014-06-28
Packaged: 2017-10-11 14:26:01
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 32
Words: 62,335
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/113390
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/UP2L8/pseuds/UP2L8
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ed loves Roy, and Roy loves . . . Roy.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Although this story is rated as Explicit, the only chapter that has explicit content is chapter 31. The rest of the story is rated Mature.

Title: Paper in Fire  
Author: Up2Late  
Rating (overall): M (to be safe).  
Spoilers: The entire original anime series.  
AU. Diverges after Episode 43.  
Warnings: Sexual themes. Violence. Foul language. It's Ed for God's sake.  
No beta, so it's probably not alpha.  
Disclaimer: Guess what? I don't own it. Just taking it out for a test drive.

One

He could hear the phone ringing as he transmuted the lock on the front door open, and never being one to pay attention to the finer points of personal privacy, Edward Elric answered it as soon as he was inside.

"Mustang residence," he said, and smirked at the tone of his own voice. Apparently the atmosphere of the bastard's house alone was enough to turn anyone into a pompous ass.

"May I speak with Roy Mustang please?" a throaty feminine voice asked hesitantly.

"He's not able to come to the phone right now," Ed returned, the sound of the shower clueing Ed in to his commanding officer's whereabouts. "May I ask who's calling?"

"This is Shanice Burrows, returning his call."

Ed frowned. "OK, I'll let him know you called as soon as he's free."

"Oh, would you be able to give him a message for me? Tell him I _am_ free tonight, and would love to join him for dinner."

Ed's frown deepened. "Sure, I'll tell him, but somehow I think he's changed his mind about going out with you tonight."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, he's upstairs right now balls deep in a redhead, and I'm pretty sure he has that brunette from the Accounting Division lined up for later. I'll give him the message though."

Dead silence. Then, a tense, "Who is this?"

"This is Major . . . Pain. Old friend of the Brigadier General's. Say, since you're probably free for the evening, what say you and I meet down at the Nag's Head for a couple of cold ones? You gotta be hot if the Mustang wants you. For dinner. What are you wearing right now, by the way?"

The dial tone was Ed's only response. Mission accomplished. And just in time, as the rattling pipes announced that the shower was over and a clean, refreshed Mustang was soon to emerge.

Ed peered up from the bottom of the stairs, and sure enough, Mustang appeared, a towel slung low around his hips, another rubbing at his damp hair.

"Ed! You're back early! Did the assignment go alright?"

"Yeah, no problems. I'll report in to headquarters tomorrow with the details."

"Accurate details this time. I mean it Ed."

"Yeah yeah."

"Did I hear the phone just now?"

"I don't know, maybe. I just got here."

"I'm expecting a call."

"Got a date, Mustang?"

"As a matter of fact, yes, I expect I do." Mustang said, grinning. "So if you'll excuse me . . ."

"I just got back from a grueling, two-week assignment. Break your date?" Ed looked up the stairs at the older man hopefully. After all, from the sound of it, this alleged date wasn't actually made yet, and now wasn't likely to happen at all thanks to Ed's little prank.

The Brigadier General frowned. "Really, Ed. You can't expect me to rearrange my entire schedule just for you. We've been through this before."

"Not your entire schedule, Roy," Ed said, hope sinking, "just tonight's."

The older man sighed. In all honesty, he had been looking forward to Edward's return, but the kid was always pushing the boundaries. Give in now, and he'd expect it all the time. "No Ed. You know the rules. No exceptions. We agreed."

Obviously not pleased, Ed nodded. "Fine. Enjoy your date," he snapped, turning towards the door.

"Thank you, I'm sure I will. And Fullmetal?" The young man looked back over his shoulder. "Please do lock the door on your way out."

Ignoring the other man, Ed kicked the front door open with his automail foot, and then kicked it closed again as well. He all but stomped down Mustang's front walk, consoling himself with thoughts of how Colonel Asshole would soon be dealing with the fallout from Major Pain's little prank.


	2. Chapter 2

Two

Roy Mustang sat in his office the next morning, greatly anticipating the arrival of his youngest subordinate.

His evening had gone fairly well, all things considered. When Shanice failed to return his call, Roy had called her again to see if she had received his earlier message. Much to his surprise, he was confronted by the woman in a state of high piss-off. It took a lot of smooth talking to first calm her down, then get her to relate what had happened, and finally to persuade her to go out with him that evening after all. She now mistakenly believed that he was just as much in the dark as to what had happened as she was. Unfortunately, it was all too obvious to Roy who the culprit was. Major Pain indeed.

The older man sighed. He and Edward had an understanding, and he knew the kid was well aware of the parameters. He had agreed to the terms, after all. Roy wasn't looking forward to this, but he had to remind the boy that rules were rules, and the younger man had overstepped the set boundaries.

As he so often did, Roy wondered if perhaps getting involved with Edward had been a mistake. The kid was very young, just seventeen years old now, and had been only sixteen, fresh from achieving his long strived for goal, when they had entered into their arrangement. Ed had never confided the details of how the brothers had succeeded in returning Alphonse' soul to his natural body, and Roy had not been inclined to pressed him. The now Brigadier General and his personal staff had had their own secrets to keep surrounding the disappearance of Furher King Bradley, and many more pressing matters to attend to, like the breakdown of military rule and the restructuring of Amestris' government.

Thinking back, Roy shuddered when he recalled just how close he had come to getting his brains blown out by Frank Archer. If Riza Hawkeye had shown up just one second later, Roy's daring coup would have been prematurely aborted by a bullet to the head. In the aftermath, Mustang and his command had all been fortunate enough to emerge unscathed, both physically and professionally. Furthermore, with the homunculus Fuhrer and its master eliminated, Maes Hughes had finally been able to come out of hiding since the threat to the lives of his wife and daughter had ended along with the horrendous plan to turn all of Central into ingredients for a Philosopher's Stone. In fact, Hughes' testimony at the Parliamentary hearing, backing up the prearranged story of Mustang's failure to foil a plot to assassinate King Bradley, had been instrumental in keeping Roy and his staff from being summarily court-martialed and likely executed.

In the midst of all the upheaval and uncertainty, Roy and Ed had just sort of happened. Roy had noticed the covert looks that the kid had been casting his way for some time, and finally decided to indulge him. After all, Edward was very attractive, and Roy was a notorious predator. It had been a tremendous boost to his already over-inflated ego to be the centre of that wild, intelligent, beautiful creature's attention.

The problem was in the taming.

Roy soon discovered that Edward had some pretty conservative ideas about what a relationship should involve. While there was no doubt that the initial affair had a lot to do with an over abundance of uncontrolled hormonal urges, as time went on it became clear to Roy the boy was confusing his adolescent crush with deeper feelings. This was not totally unforeseen, but it was definitely an unwelcome development for the older man. Edward was uncomfortable with the fact that Roy continued to see other people, and Roy was uncomfortable with Edward's blossoming territoriality. They were heading into dangerous territory if Roy didn't change their course, and fast.

While the power of the Fuhrership was now much diminished compared to the time of Bradley's reign, it was still the pinnacle of the military hierarchy, and still a step towards Roy Mustang's goal. The military was now under the control of the newly created, democratically elected Parliament however, with the Prime Minister at its head. Reaching the highest political position and becoming the leader of his country was still Roy Mustang's ultimate goal, and he considered it even more attainable now, as the top seat of government had become an elected position. Roy Mustang prided himself on his ability to confidently navigate any social situation, affairs of state included. In these high stakes popularity contests, image was everything.

And admitting to regularly fucking his 16-year-old subordinate would definitely not contribute to the image Roy wanted to project.

Roy hadn't been quite ready to give up playtime with the aforementioned subordinate at that point however, so the newly promoted Brigadier General did what he did best – assessed the situation, considered all variables, evaluated his options, and then manipulated the shit out of all possible weaknesses to his benefit.

He knew that Edward was honest to a fault, loyal, and very idealistic. He was the People's Alchemist for some very good reasons, even leaving out the fact of his alchemic genius. What worked in Roy's favor was the boy's self acknowledged lack of social maturity, and the fact that he trusted the older man implicitly. Roy used all this to his advantage, and introduced 'The Rules.'

Roy convinced Edward that if they were to continue to see each other, a few rules were necessary for both their protection, and Rule Number One had to be that no one could know about them. He explained that since Ed was in his command, their relationship would be considered fraternization, which was frowned on by the Brass. Their affair night appear to be the result of coercion by a superior officer against a vulnerable, much younger subordinate, and that would negatively affect Roy's chances for promotion. Of course the younger man had not been happy about it, but had acknowledged the necessity of discretion to support Roy and his career. After all, Roy had supported the Elrics in their search for the Stone; Ed considered it equivalent exchange.

After that first, all important rule was accepted, Roy introduced others to support it. Rule Number Two stipulated that Roy would continue to see other people, and Edward couldn't interfere. Roy pointed out that he had to keep to his regular routines, or suspicions would be raised. Rule Number Three stated that Ed was not allowed to expect any kind of commitment from Roy. Their arrangement was sex only, and nothing more. Roy believed that last one was actually in Ed's own best interests. The kid needed to know that he could never be anything more than a casual bed partner to the older man. Roy eased that one through by pointing out that Ed was still young, and although Roy was his first, he would likely not be his last lover. Roy knew with absolute certainty that Edward's feelings couldn't be serious right now even if Ed himself didn't; he was only seventeen. This was a crush, nothing more, and it wouldn't last forever. Roy knew that Edward would realize this as well, in time.

Things had been rolling along smoothly for quite a while, but now it looked as though that was about to change. As much as he enjoyed their exploits, Roy wondered if perhaps it was time to break it off with the little blond. He'd have to see how their meeting went today. Depending on what happened, he might be forced to end it with the teen, in the interest of self preservation.


	3. Chapter 3

Three

Edward knew Mustang was going to be pissed.

After the initial high of messing with Roy's love life the night before had faded, Ed knew he had made a tactical error. Rules were rules, and as much as he hated them, he had agreed to follow them. Still, it wasn't like he'd had much choice. It was either that, or maybe get Roy in trouble. Or worse, give Roy up.

At the time, that had been Ed's worst case scenario.

Now that he'd broken the 'no interference' rule , , , just how mad was Roy going to be? Mad enough to break it off?

Shit.

After stalling for as long as he could, Ed finally showed up at Headquarters mid-morning, greeting the only person in the outer office: First Lieutenant Jean Havoc. The young alchemist didn't envy the man his new position as Mustang's office manager. He'd inherited the job from the long-suffering Riza Hawkeye when she transferred to Central after being promoted to Major, and the office just wasn't the same without her. She now had a position in the Intelligence Division under Colonel Maes Hughes, and Warrant Officer Falman had gone to rejoin his former commander's personal staff there as well.

"Hey Havoc!" Ed grinned widely.

"Hey yourself Boss!" the blond man's ever present, though unlit, cigarette bobbed as he spoke. "You're back sooner than expected."

"Caught a couple of lucky breaks and wrapped it up. Where is everyone?"

Havoc smiled. "Breda is over at the shooting range getting his recertification today, and Fuery's on loan to Tactical. They needed his help troubleshooting some of their equipment. The Chief is expecting you. Said to send you right in when you got here."

Ed's grin became a bit strained. This was it. At the very least, he was in for a stern talking to by his commanding officer and certainly wasn't looking forward to it. With a grimace, he decided to face the music and get it over with. He strode up to the inner office door, booted it open, and entered.

"Ah, Fullmetal. How nice to see you. Close the door, will you?" Mustang had that dangerously calm aura about him, and Edward mentally braced himself for the incoming verbal assault.

Closing the door and stepping up to his superior's desk, the younger man plopped down his report and decided to play it straight.

"The assignment went easier than I expected," Ed began, focusing his eyes on the wall about 6 inches to the left of his commander's shoulder. "Usually I have to do a lot of digging before I find out who did what, but these guys weren't very bright. They weren't even trying to hide what they'd done. Bragged about it to anyone who'd listen, too. By the time I got to Cookstown, they had already used a lot of the gold they transmuted on crap like fancy clothes, restaurants, hookers, you know the drill, so I had some trouble gathering evidence until I got the idea to spread a rumor that the gold these assholes were spending was fake. Then people were more willing to come forward and turn it in. The coins showed all the classic signs of trans-elemental transmutation, and the two brothers confessed to the crime. As alchemists they were amateurs, and not very talented either. Their array only worked with lead, and I got the impression that they were pretty surprised that it worked at all. They are in custody at the local military detachment in New Optain, awaiting trial."

"Well done, Fullmetal. You even managed to include all the relevant details, as requested." The Brigadier General picked up the report and looked it over. "No property damage. No personal injuries. No undue expenses. No irate phone calls from local elected officials. I must say, Edward, I'm impressed. I would be congratulating you on your maturity right now, if it weren't for what you did last night."

Edward tensed. Here it came. "It was just a little joke Mustang."

"Your 'little joke' was in poor taste, and a rather cruel thing to do to my innocent date, wouldn't you agree?"

Ed's eyes dropped to the floor. "She wasn't even officially your date when I was talking to her, bastard. It'd been two weeks; would it have killed you to make a little time for me?"

"Whining isn't your style, Major. And you know the rules. You are not to interfere with the other people I see. I have an image to maintain. I had already called Ms. Burrows and invited her out, and I'm not the sort of person who . . ."

"She hadn't even agreed to go out with you yet!"

The older man heaved a heavy sigh. "Edward. You know the rules. You agreed to them."

"You and your fucking rules!" Ed gritted out, exasperated. "Yeah, I agreed. I never really had any say in the matter."

"But you agreed."

"I didn't have any choice!"

"Still, you agreed. Complaining about it after the fact is juvenile and counterproductive. Really Fullmetal, you are still such a child in so many ways." Mustang visibly braced for the explosion, smirk firmly in place.

In an instant the anticipated explosion built to considerable proportion, but instead of bursting out into the room at large, it suddenly crashed down into Edward's chest, a tight, churning ball of acid. Edward recognized it. He had felt it many times before while looking for a way to get Alphonse back into his natural body, every time he hit a dead end in that all important research.

Defeat.

Ed's shoulders dropped. He looked at his commander, eyes shrouded with resentment.

Somewhat taken aback by this uncharacteristic behavior, the older man continued regardless. "You know why the rules are necessary, Edward. To reach my goal, I need to maintain a certain image, and I can't afford to have our affair become public knowledge. I have to keep up certain appearances." The young man cast his eyes down once more. "I'm sorry Ed, but if you can't keep your end of the bargain, it's over."

"What's over, Mustang? As far as I can see, we got nothing anyway," Ed muttered.

"Then here's your choice. The rules stand. If you don't like it, you can leave at any time."

"Whatever, bastard."

"Now, your next assignment shouldn't be too difficult for a man of many talents such as yourself . . ."

"Next assignment!" Ed sputtered. "But I just got back! Don't I get any down time?"

Roy smirked. Back to normal. "Are you injured Fullmetal?" he purred.

"Like you'd give a shit if I was," Ed snarled.

Roy ignored the slight. "If you're not injured, then you don't require any recovery time. The situation in Lior requires an alchemist experienced with handling chimerae, and while I hate to massage your already over-inflated ego, you are the most qualified field operative we have in that area."

"Chimerae." Ed paled. He hated these assignments more than anything. Was this the bastard's revenge?

"See Havoc for the case file before you leave. Oh, and give my regards to Major Armstrong. Dismissed, Fullmetal."

Edward slammed the door behind him.


	4. Chapter 4

Four

It was travelling by train when Ed found that he missed Alphonse the most. Sitting on the poorly padded bench seat watching the scenery scroll by was lonely without his little brother to help pass the time. But those days were over.  Al was flesh and blood again, living happily in Central with Winry, and Ed wouldn't have it any other ways. Still, he couldn't help but miss his little brother. If they were together right now, they could play cards, or argue the finer points of alchemic theory, or just talk. Ed could vent all his frustrations regarding Roy to the younger Elric, and likely getting some really useful advice in return.

Of course, Ed could easily predict what that advice would be. Mustang could shove his 'no one can know 'rule straight up his ass when it came to Al. It wasn't like Ed could actually keep something like his affair with his commanding officer a secret from the person who knew him almost better than he knew himself, even if he wanted to. Al knew everything. So did Ed's best friend, Winry. And neither approved. Both thought that Mustang was bad news for Ed – too old, too promiscuous, too selfish, too sneaky - and Ed was beginning to think they might be right.

But as much as Ed missed his little brother, particularly at times like these, he was just as glad he was out of the line of fire. Ed was stuck in this stupid term contract with the military, but thankfully Al wasn't. They had gone through a lot to get him back into his natural body, and Ed wasn't about to risk seeing him hurt, mentally or physically.

Edward sometimes found it hard to believe that it had been just over a year ago that he and his brother had finally done what they had set out to do. And now Ed was going back to the place that had been the beginning of the end, the place where they'd finally got hold of the Philosopher's Stone thanks to the mad Ishbalan's sacrifice. Scar had given his life to prevent Zolf Kimblee's explosive transmutation from reaching completion, and made Al himself into the Stone in the process. The Elrics had immediately gone on the run, knowing the homunculi would be on their trail, and sure enough they had run straight into Sloth. Ed didn't like to think about what he'd had to do to the homunculus he had created, but it had been necessary – he was responsible for bringing that sin into the world, and so it was his responsibility to remove it.

It had been at that moment when the brothers realized that they didn't have much time. They had to use the Stone, and quickly, or run the risk of Al falling into the hands of the homunculi's master. They had long since worked out the array needed to restore Alphonse to his body, and it was really just a matter of carefully drawing it out and using it. They caught a lucky break when Izumi Curtis showed up. Between the three of them, drawing the array, making sure they had it right, and guarding against any unwanted intrusions, they had gotten the job done.

Of course the unpredictable nature of the gate still managed to throw them a curve. Alphonse was back, and in perfect health - no problem there. That he was now a sixteen year old in an eleven year old body was really just a minor inconvenience. It certainly didn't seem to be slowing him down at the University of Amestris, Central Campus, where he was preparing his doctoral thesis on the uses of alchemy in medicine. It had also made it easy to hide Al in Resembool while he recovered his strength. The homunculi were looking for a seven foot tall suit of armour, not a scrawny, half starved ten year old. Meeting Hohenheim at Granny Pinako's turned out to be another lucky accident. It meant that Ed didn't have to face the remaining homunculi and their master alone.

The situation couldn't be left as it was. The Stone was spent, and when she found out, Dante would be after revenge. Ed and his father went to Central to stop her by whatever means necessary. Hohenheim lead his son to the abandoned city underneath Central, where they'd encountered the remaining homunculi, along with Rose and her baby, and Dante. Edward would always regret that he was unable to prevent his father from being flung through the gate, but was grateful that the old man had been able to drag Envy through with him. The last Ed had seen of Dante, she was being closely pursued by an out of control Gluttony, and the sin had been hot on her heels. When it was all over, only he, Rose and her child, and Wrath had been left. Wrath had since been befriended by Winry, and after being fitted with automail, had returned to Dublith to stay with Sig and Izumi. And Mustang and his command had taken care of Pride – though Ed had never inquired past the official version of the Bradley incident. Some things were better left to the imagination.

Right now Al was living with Winry in Central while he attended University, using her practice as raw data for his thesis, and helping her out in her thriving Automail shop. Edward was very grateful that his best friend was there to look after his little brother while Ed was stuck in the military, but he wouldn't be forever. The Resembool trio often talked of what Ed would do once his contract ran out on his eighteenth birthday. Winry insisted that he should come live with her and Al, at least for a while, but Ed had always assumed that Roy figured into his post-military life, and in that case it would have been awkward.

But was Mustang really part of his picture?

Here Ed was, sitting on a train, ass still sore from his last trip, lonely. He was going someplace he didn't want to go, to do a job he didn't want to do. When he was done, he'd go back to get another job he didn't want to do, with the slim possibility of spending some time before hand with someone who, Ed was beginning to realize, didn't really give a shit about him.

Thinking about his confrontation with the bastard, Ed felt his anger surge all over again. He had always imagined that Roy had feelings for him beyond lust, but after this morning, he couldn't fool himself any longer. He was really just an amusing fuck-toy for the older man, and only one among many. If he didn't like it, Ed could leave at any time, just like that, and the bastard obviously couldn't care less. Well, maybe Ed needed to be hit over the head with that kind of wrench to see the obvious. Sure, the rules said he should expect nothing more, but he had hoped . . .

_. . . curled up in a nest of blankets by the fireplace on the living room floor, bodies sheened in cooling sweat, his lovers face a breath away, dark eyes reflecting the fire's dying embers, and deep inside a tenderness that warmed his heart . . ._

No. What he sometimes thought he saw in Roy's eyes was all really his imagination, just his own feelings in a cold mirror's reflection. Wishful thinking, and nothing more.

Ed felt a familiar ache in his chest, and snarled. "Winry's right. I'm a moron to care about that bastard. Why am I doing this to myself? I deserve better." And just like that, his mind was made up.

It was past time for a change. He had to suck it up and make his choice, the only choice he was offered. There had to be someone out there who could see past the scars, the automail, the notoriety, and like him for himself. There had to be someone out there he could care about, who would care back. No one had ever accused the Fullmetal Alchemist of being a coward, and as scary as the prospect was, it was time to get out there and start meeting other people.

He needed to get his balls back.


	5. Chapter 5

Five

Roy hung up the phone with a frustrated sigh. Alex Armstrong confirmed that Edward had checked in upon arrival in Lior three days ago, but that was the last the Strong Arm Alchemist had heard from him. That damn brat! What the fuck was he playing at now? After all this time, did he still not understand the concept of backup? He was going to get himself killed one of these days, and a dead Alchemist for the People wouldn't look good on Roy's resume. The Brigadier General drummed his fingers on his desk, weighing his few options. The new rail spur to Lior still wasn't complete, making access to the city difficult. The desert city was too damn isolated. Roy picked up the phone again.

"Central Intelligence. Colonel Hughes Office," a pleasant male voice announced.

"Colonel Hughes please. This is Brigadier General Mustang."

"One moment please, Sir."

If anyone had contacts in Lior, it would be Maes. Roy continued to drum on his desk while he listened to the quiet buzz of telephone limbo, idly wondering if there was any way to get music to play over the phone line for calls placed on hold. That way callers wouldn't have to listen to those annoying little clicks and hums while they waited. Perhaps he should suggest it to Kain Fuery . . .

"Roy! To what do I owe the pleasure?" Maes suddenly gushed into his ear.

"Same as always, Maes," Roy gritted his teeth. "The brat's off the radar again, and I want to know what the hell he's up to."

"Out of touch, is he? Give me the details. Where, and for how long has he been incommunicado?"

"Lior, for about 3 days."

"Hmm. That's not all that long, considering its Ed. Something specific worrying you? Or are you just missing the little maniac." Roy could hear the man's grin.

The 'no one can know' rule didn't extend to Maes of course. There was no way Roy could hide his affair with Edward from someone who knew Roy almost better then he knew himself, even if he wanted to. Maes knew everything, but seemed to believe that Edward was to Roy what Gracia was to Maes. In other words, his 'perfect match'. Roy never bothered to set his friend straight on the true nature of his arrangement with Edward, since this misinterpretation had ended his friend's annoying habit of playing the matchmaker. The Brigadier General had had his fill of blind dates arranged by his meddling best friend over the years, and was now grateful to have this breathing space, for the time being at least. Maes had always been a hopeless romantic, terrifying in his drive to see everyone as happily hooked up with their ideal partner as he was.

"Maes, I'm serious." Roy tapped his pen on the report he was supposed to be signing. "It's nothing specific, but . . . it's Lior after all. There could be some lingering hard feelings around Fullmetal's actions there in the past, and I find it frustrating when I can't keep tabs on him."

"Frustrating. Sure." The annoying grin was still audible. "Well, I'll check into it and get back to you. Did you get the pictures I sent you by the way?"

"Yes, and there was postage due on the envelope. You packed too many photos in there again."

"There is no such thing as 'too many photos' of my Elicia, Roy. Isn't she a little angel in her school uniform? Her Kindergarten teacher thinks she's extremely intelligent, not to mention completely adorable! Very perceptive woman, wouldn't you say?"

"Maes . . ."

"I can't wait for her first school play. And I hear there will be a holiday concert for Winter Solstice, too. Oh, and class picture day is the first Tuesday in October. I hope they are using a reputable photographer. Elicia is incredibly photogenic though, so it's not really a matter of how skilled the photographer is . . ."

"Maes . . ."

". . . after all, look at the material he'll have to work with. We're going out tomorrow to get something special for her to wear . . ."

"Maes! "

"Yes Roy?"

"Ed. Lior. Call me back when you know something."

"You're no fun at all when you're missing your little blond sweetheart."

Roy slammed the phone down as hard as he could. "Little blond sweetheart my ass," he muttered under his breath.

Really though, this was just one more indication this had gone on long enough. Roy was really leaning toward cutting Edward loose once and for all. The 'Major Pain' episode, Ed's atypical behaviour in response to Roy's digs just before he went on assignment, Maes' ridiculous assumptions – it all added up to possible complications Roy didn't need. It wouldn't do for his relationship with the boy to become public knowledge. Same sex relationships were generally accepted, for the most part – this was the Twentieth Century after all, not the Middle Ages. Fraternizing with one's subordinates was officially frowned upon of course, though it was common knowledge that it often happened. The Brass generally turned a blind eye to it, not really caring about who was fucking around with who. But the age difference. That was the killing point as far as Roy was concerned. The kid was nearly half his age. Worse, he'd had Ed in his command since the kid was twelve. If it became known that they were in a sexual relationship, there would be speculation on just when that relationship had begun. Political suicide, no question.

It was a shame, really. The kid was beautiful, though he didn't seem to realize it, smooth skin, lithe young muscles and captivating amber eyes, the automail lending a touch of the exotic. They were both alchemists as well, and while Roy was a master in his element, Edward's genius made the Flame Alchemist feel like a rank amateur by comparison. Talking theory with the boy was always intriguing. In bed he was uninhibited, and though initially he'd lacked experience, he was a fast learner, and he'd also more than made up for any shortfalls in the skill department with an unconventional sense of creativity. And Edward was playful – a quality that Roy's other, more seasoned partners often lacked. In bed or out, it was never boring. To have to give all that up . . .

_. . . looking in from the hall, Edward curled loosely on the bed, breathing deep and even, sheet draped low over slim hips, golden blond locks tumbled over strong shoulders, spilling across the pillow, the dim light from the dying fire gleaming on a metal shoulder, gilding smooth, peaceful features . . . _

But no, it was past time, actually. Six months had always been Roy's general rule of thumb to avoid having to deal with a partner becoming too attached, and this had gone well beyond that time limit. Of course he'd be as gentle with the kid as possible, but there was too much at stake for this to continue. The boy would get over his crush soon enough, as teenagers always did. And even if Roy Mustang was looking for a suitable someone to commit to, he had to face facts. Edward Elric just wasn't trophy wife material.


	6. Chapter 6

Six

Nearly three weeks later, Edward was once again in Mustang's outer office, back from his assignment. He was torn between feeling relieved that the bastard was still out to lunch and he could put off having to deal with him for a little while longer, and pissed off that he was being kept waiting when all he wanted to do was head for the dorms for a quick shower and about 24 hours of sleep. He'd made himself comfortable in Havoc's chair, eyes closed, feet on the desk, and was drowsily listening while the First Lieutenant was cheerfully eviscerated by his closest comrades. Ed found that he could at least take comfort in knowing that someone else's love life was in as bad shape as his was, although he wasn't free to admit that he'd actually had one, or with who.

"So, what was that waitress' name again, Havoc – you know, the one that shot you down because she said you smelled like stale cigarette smoke and too much cheap cologne?" Breda knew how to press all of his friend's buttons, and wasn't afraid to do so for the entertainment value. It also distracted the First Lieutenant from looming deadlines and badgering his colleagues to get their work done.

"Oh man. Don't go there." Havoc put his head down on the heavy-set man's desk and covered it with his arms.

Kain Fuery, back from his temporary reassignment to Tactical, hunched his shoulders, grinned, and prepared to participate.

"No, really man! I think my sister knows her." Breda's was all sincerity. "Was it Janice?"

"No, that was the one that said he looked too desperate," Fuery supplied helpfully.

Havoc made a brave attempt to ignore his two coworkers, but Breda wasn't having any of that.

"Julie, then?" He rubbed his chin, blue eyes narrowed in false concentration.

"No," Kain jumped in again. "That was the one that said she thought he was immature."

"I know it started with a 'J' – Jill maybe?"

"No," Kain had all the answers today. "That was the one that turned out to be a cross dresser . . ."

"OK, enough!" Jean couldn't take any more. "It's bad enough I have no life without you guys constantly throwing all my disappointments back in my face! I do find it kinda creepy that you have all my failures so efficiently catalogued, Kain."

"Hey, at least you know I'm listening when you're drunk and crying the blues on my shoulder!" the smaller man said defensively.

Mustang picked that moment to breeze into the office. His eyes scanned over his subordinates, finally locking on the youngest. He raised an eyebrow.

"Well, if it isn't young Major Elric. What an unexpected pleasure," he said cheerfully.

"Don't start, bastard," Edward growled back. "I've been sitting on a fucking train for two days. I'm tired, and I need a shower almost as bad as you need to have your ass kicked. What I don't need is to sit here while you try to break my balls."

"As charming as ever." The older man observed. "Well, come on then, step into my office and I'll take your report."

The door closed, Mustang sitting at his desk, hands steepled under his chin, Edward stood in exactly the same position as he had close to three weeks before. For a moment, all the times he had stood in this exact place telescoped together, making the young alchemist dizzy. He pulled himself together and got down to business.

"There were no chimerae in or around Lior," Ed started. "It was all a set up to get an alchemist out there. The Mayor thought the rebuild was going too slow, but his request for more State qualified alchemists to help out was denied by the Parliamentary committee in charge of the reconstruction. The bit about needing someone who was experienced in handling chimera was a red herring so no one would catch on until he got an alchemist to come out. I spent four days in the fucking desert looking for a chimera that didn't fucking exist, and when I got back into town, this asshole says, well, as long as you're here, how 'bout you give us a hand with some construction? That's when I finally caught on."

"Hmm, yes, how you reacted when you 'caught on' resulted in my receiving a rather irate phone call from Mayor Carluccio," Roy murmured.

"Yeah, well, in retrospect, advising him to fuck off, and making the observation that he was one gigantic asshole, _was_ rather tactless of me. He's lucky I didn't beat the shit out of him."

"I admire your restraint. He demanded an official apology, Fullmetal."

"OK, tell him I'm officially sorry that he's an asshole, and offer him my sympathy. I stuck around for over a week to give Alex a hand rebuilding some of the infrastructure, so Carluccio can officially kiss my ass." Ed swayed slightly on his feet. "Can we wrap this up? I didn't sleep on the train."

Roy sighed. The damage control never ended with this kid. "Alright Edward, dismissed. You are free to conduct your personal research projects until next Thursday – one week. I should have something else for you by then. And if you like, you can have that shower at my place, and a nap afterward until I get home. I'll be out of here by around six."

"No thanks." Ed said coldly.

Roy was amused. "You're not still upset over the conversation we had the last time you were here, are you Edward? That was almost three weeks ago."

Edward said nothing, turning to go.

"Are you quite sure you want to waste what little time we have to spend together by holding a foolish grudge?" Roy tried again.

Ed continued out the door, closing it quietly behind him. He walked through the outer office, waving a casual farewell to his comrades as he exited. Down the hall, out into the compound, across the parade grounds where he and Mustang had battled for his recertification once, so long ago. Into the dorms, where he picked up his room assignment, smiling at a comment made by the duty Sergeant that he didn't actually hear. Up the stairs and into the assigned room to collapse on the thin mattress as he finally let his weak knees give out.

He'd done it. He had turned the bastard down for the first time. It had been hard, but he'd known it would be. Mustang had been a sight for sore eyes after weeks on the road, sitting there behind that desk, all cool confidence and sexy as hell, taking it for granted that Ed would jump at the chance to spend time with him. He seemed to find it funny when Ed had refused, and that just confirmed what Ed had finally realized; that the older man wouldn't care if Ed never came to his bed again.

It was going to be lonely on his own. Spending time with the bastard was about more than great sex. He was good company too. But it was better this way, making a clean break. He was alone most of the time anyway, so this wouldn't be so bad. It would be worth a bit of loneliness now, so that Ed could concentrate on finding someone else to spend time with, and when he did, well, he wouldn't be so lonely then, would he. Now all Ed had to do was actually tell the bastard that they were done, and it would really be over. Mustang wouldn't give a shit, but it would close the book for Ed. Then he could get on with his life; find a happy ending to tack on to his story. Yeah. This was all for the best.

Now if only his aching heart would believe him.


	7. Chapter 7

Seven

Roy Mustang lounged in his comfortable leather chair, idly tapping his pen on the report he was supposed to be reviewing. As much as he missed Riza Hawkeye's stalwart loyalty and cool competence, he had to admit the office was a much more relaxed place since she had transferred to Central Command. Of course it wasn't as efficient either, and it got very hectic when all the work that was supposed to be completed came due, but even that wasn't as stressful as staring down the barrel of her hand gun. Everyone in Roy's command was almost positive that Hawkeye would never actually have shot them, but there had always been that tiny hint of uncertainty. Coupled with the cold look in her eye as she flicked off her safety, everyone decided it was best to err on the side of caution and do as she instructed. Havoc was a flyweight in the discipline department compared to the Hawk, relying on cajoling, whining, and outright begging to get the staff to finish their assigned tasks, which had little to no effect on the rate of completion.

The week since Ed had last been in Roy's office had passed rather slowly. Edward had not shown up at the older man's home at all, and Roy was quite frankly amazed. He had expected him every night, unable to believe that the kid could actually stay away. His sources informed him that Edward had spent most of his days either at the East City branch of the National Library, or in one of the open labs at headquarters conducting experiments to test the theories in his current research. His only deviation from that pattern had been when the younger alchemist had joined Havoc, Breda, and Fuery for lunch on Monday and Wednesday. It was now Thursday afternoon, and the Brigadier General was currently awaiting his youngest subordinate's arrival to receive his next assignment.

Despite the reevaluation of his relationship with Edward, and all the good reasons why he should break it off with the younger man, Roy had ultimately decided that he wasn't quite ready to give him up just yet. He really did enjoy the blond's company, not that he'd ever dare admit that to him. So of course the kid had to go and start avoiding him, probably to make some childish point. Roy could understand to a certain extent why he was irritated over the rules, but this signature Edward Elric stubbornness was as frustrating as hell. Ed knew the whys and wherefores. What was his problem? Did he expect Roy to chase after him? Roy snorted. Like that was ever going to happen. The kid couldn't hold out forever. He'd cave eventually. And until then, there were plenty of other fish in the sea.

After Ed had left his office the previous week, Roy had made arrangements to take out a new conquest. Tia, a junior secretary from Transportation, had been making subtle overtures towards him for a while, and he had finally decided to grace her with his attention. It had gone very well – dinner, dancing, and a very satisfying encounter at her centrally located apartment. He would definitely be seeing more of Tia.

His pleasant musings were interrupted by the uncharacteristically quiet entrance of the awaited Edward Elric.

"Ah, Fullmetal. Fashionably late as always. But rather subdued today, aren't we? I do hope you're not coming down with something."

"Just cut the crap, and tell me what you've got," Ed said, face expressionless.

"As you wish. The town of Porter has requested military assistance. Local law enforcement believes they are dealing with a chimera. They report the disappearance of livestock, some random sightings of what witnesses describe as 'an unnatural creature', but fortunately no human victims yet. Your contact is the local sheriff. Havoc has the case file and your train ticket. You are scheduled to leave tomorrow morning."

"Great," was Edward's unenthusiastic reply as he turned to leave.

"Just a moment Edward," Roy stopped him. "I haven't dismissed you yet."

Edward turned back around, face still expressionless.

"Don't you think this has gone on long enough?" Roy asked gently. "What do you hope to accomplish by avoiding me?"

Edward did not answer, his expression giving away nothing.

"I'm free this evening. Come to my place."

"No thanks," came the clipped reply.

"Fine, have it your way," Roy said, covering his sudden surge of anger with a bored expression. "If you insist on holding a grudge like the child that you are, I won't waste my time trying to convince you otherwise. Dismissed, Fullmetal."

The anticipated explosive reaction, once again, did not materialize. Edward simply turned on his heel and quickly exited the office, quietly but firmly closing the door behind him. Quite frankly, Roy was astonished, and his anger quickly drained away, leaving him troubled.

What was going on? It wasn't like Edward to simply shrug off Roy's verbal slights, but now for the second time, he had done just that. This uncharacteristic behavior was more than a little unsettling for the older man. Roy wondered if he was missing something here. Could there be more to this than a petulant teenager in a stubborn mood? Roy had assumed that the younger alchemist was still irritated over the scolding he'd received before he'd left for Lior, but was he? All Roy had done was rehash the rules with the young man. It was nothing he hadn't done before. This reaction seemed out of proportion to a simple restatement of the rules. Had something happened in Lior to cause Edward to withdraw into himself like this? The kid still felt responsible for what had happened there while he was searching for the Philosopher's Stone. Was he guilting over it again? Had the Mayor said or done something to trigger this perhaps? Or was Edward avoiding him because he was hiding something? The Brigadier General decided to call Alex Armstrong as soon as he got the chance. Roy would sound the Major out about what had gone on in the desert town, and possibly get some clues as to what was going on in Ed's convoluted mind.

Shit. This was a pain in the ass he didn't need right now. Things were starting to heat up on the political front, and Roy Mustang had to be on his game. He had to push these trivial distractions aside and focus. Maes' sources had confirmed that a major restructuring of the military chain of command was on the Prime Minister's agenda, and that sounded like opportunity knocking on Roy's door. He had to be ready to act. He couldn't afford to get sidetracked by a cranky teenager in a snit over god knew what. Roy supposed it was his own fault for getting involved with a kid half his age though. He should have known better. This would probably turn out to be some sort of adolescent attention seeking behavior that the older man shouldn't respond to. Any reaction would likely encourage it, when what Roy wanted was to nip it in the bud.

Sitting there deep in thought, paperwork ignored, Roy wondered why he was spending so much of his valuable time trying to figure Edward out. Maes was the concerned father figure, not Roy. Edward was a casual fling with no strings attached, and he knew it. The dark haired man had no idea what the hell the kid could possibly want from him, but whatever it was, Roy was fairly certain he couldn't provide it.


	8. Chapter 8

Eight 

Sitting on the train the next morning, Edward felt rather proud of himself for a number of reasons.

For one, he had spent last evening in the company of one Kelly Connor, a Librarian's Assistant at the East City branch of the National Library. He had noticed the very pretty brunette looking his way quite often whenever he was in the library, and had finally decided to take a chance and ask her if she would like to have dinner with him. He figured she was only three or four years older than him, so she might decide to give him a break. If not, well, she didn't necessarily look like a cruel person, so maybe her rejection of his offer wouldn't be too hurtful. Much to Ed's surprise, she had enthusiastically agreed to join him.

That had been Saturday, and their date had gone extremely well. Kelly was bright, had a great sense of humor, and she seemed to enjoy Ed's company as much as he enjoyed hers. So Ed took another chance, asking her if she would like to join him again on Tuesday, and she was once again pleased to accept. This time, with a little more time to prepare, Ed had made arrangements to go to a popular dinner show he had heard Havoc talking about, and that had gone very smoothly as well. Finally yesterday, when he told the young lady he was being sent out on assignment the next day, she had asked him out for a send off dinner that evening, and it had been a very nice evening indeed. He looked forward to seeing more of Kelly to find out what could develop from this budding friendship. It was nice to have someone to go out and do things with. Ed hadn't really had that kind of someone since Al had gone to live in Central.

He was also proud of the way he had been able to veto his body's vote to take Mustang up on his offer of some recreational alone time.

Every moment he'd spent on the road had strengthened Ed's resolve to put distance between himself and the Brigadier General, but he'd been worried that he'd cave once he was back in town, temptation close at hand, and he'd nearly been right. It had been bad enough in the library or lab, thinking about what he could be doing instead of research, or lying on a crappy cot in the dorms, thinking about Mustang's luxurious sheets and what they could be doing between them, but facing the bastard was ten times worse. Hell, it had been unbelievably difficult to stand in the office, keep his face blank, and turn Mustang down, but once again he'd managed, heart pounding. It also didn't help that the Flame had been invading his subconscious lately, those dark eyes burning him in his dreams, clever hands teasing heated flesh, lips ghosting over his own. He'd awoken more than once, sure the older man had just whispered his name. In the end Ed had not given in, but hadn't gone so far as to tell his commander that it was over between them either, though he knew he would have to, and soon.

At the thought, Ed felt the familiar ache, followed by burning shame and rage. He'd do it when he got back from this assignment. Damn it, he was done being played by that bastard!

Porter wasn't too far off the beaten path, and the few hours on the train flew by as Edward was absorbed by his thoughts. When the train finally pulled into the station he was on the platform before it had completely stopped, scanning the sparse crowd for someone official-looking. What he found was a petite redhead, wearing a tan, short sleeved uniform shirt with matching slacks, standing on a bench at the rear of the platform. The late afternoon sunlight glinting from the badge pinned to her ample chest signaled that Edward had found his contact.

Making his way through the few disembarking passengers, Ed stepped up to the woman. She looked down from her vantage point.

"Sherriff Brown?" The woman nodded. "I'm Major Elric. East City Headquarters sent me to look into your possible chimera problem."

Sparkling blue eyes gave Ed the once over, and she smiled. "Major Elric. Nice to meet you. " She hopped off the bench and offered her hand, which Edward accepted, returning her firm grip. "You're not quite what I was expecting, but I guess you probably hear that all the time."

Ed grinned. "You're right, I do. For the record, you're not quite what I expected either."

"Which I also hear all the time," the sheriff said with a grin. "Come along to the station and I'll introduce you to my staff. Then we'll get you squared away at the Inn."

The woman made small talk as they walked the short distance to the town's police station, and Ed listened with half an ear as he took in her appearance.

At 5'6", Ed was loath to admit the he had probably pretty much finished growing, but the top of Sherriff Brown's head only came up to his nose. Looking to be in her late twenties or early thirties, her short cut, bright red hair contrasted strikingly with the brilliant blue of her eyes. Not wanting to be caught checking out her figure, Ed kept his eyes firmly on the Sherriff's face, but from what he had seen earlier, the lady was very nicely stacked. The young man smiled at his thoughts. A couple of weeks ago he wouldn't have taken notice of these things.

Ed was ushered into a small storefront on the main street that functioned as the town's police headquarters, and was quickly introduced to the dispatcher and Sherriff Brown's two Deputies.

"We have all the files pertaining to the case set out for you on this desk in chronological order, sir." The younger of the two deputies seemed a bit in awe of the State Alchemist in their midst. "If you tell me how you like your coffee, I'd be happy to get one for you." He added.

"I'm sure Major Elric is tired from the trip out, Randall," the Sherriff cut in smoothly. "I think he'd be happier to get to the Inn, where he could have some supper as well."

"Elric?" The other deputy swung around suddenly, eyes widening. "Edward Elric?"

Uh oh. This could go either way. "That's right," Ed said calmly, dropping his arms to his sides in case he had to defend himself.

The man rushed over to shake Ed's hand all over again. "I'm sorry, it just sank in," he said, pumping away at Ed's hand. "I have family in Youswell."

Ah, so it was like that. Ed smiled widely. "Oh yeah? I haven't been there in quite a while. How's the place holding up?"

"Better than ever, now that Bradley's crew is out and the Prime Minister's running the show. They're finally getting a fair price for their ores."

Seeing that the man was just getting warmed up, Sherriff Brown cut in once again. "Hold on now, Karl," she said. "Let's get this young man some food and a place to sleep, and then you can talk politics to your heart's content, alright?"

The burly man rubbed a sheepish hand along the back of his neck. "Yes ma'am." He said, then to Ed, "Sorry, sometimes I get a little carried away."

"No problem," Ed replied. "We can talk later."

The Sherriff directed Ed back out to the street, and they made their way to the Inn. Porter wasn't much bigger than Resembool, so it was a short walk, the redhead greeting curious townsfolk but offering no introductions. Reaching the Inn, Ed let her take the lead while he surveyed the clean, simply decorated lobby.

"This here's Major Elric, Murray," the young woman said, gesturing in Ed's general direction. "You should have a reservation for him."

Checking his ledger, a young man about Ed's age nodded. "Sure do," He said. "Mom started making up the room when we heard the train come in. It should be ready shortly." The teen suddenly froze, eyes darting towards the Sherriff.

The lobby seemed to darken, and Ed watched, fascinated, as Sherriff Brown bristled, her eyes almost shooting sparks. "I hope that wasn't a smartass reference to my height, Murray," she growled menacingly.

The frightened youth quickly shook his head, eyes wide. "No Ma'am!" he assured her.

"Fine." Turning to Ed, the woman took in his wide grin. "Something funny?"

"Nope." He said. And, still grinning, he took another chance. "Just wondered if you'd join me for dinner, Sherriff Brown."

The woman cocked up one eyebrow, and looked at the younger man speculatively. "You're on. And call me Maxine."


	9. Chapter 9

Nine

Roy schooled himself to wait until the third ring before he snatched up his phone. "Brigadier General Mustang."

"Roy!" Maes' overly cheerful voice was not the one he'd been hoping to hear. "How's life out there in the boonies?"

"Maes, if this is a social call, I'll have to call you back this evening. I'm expecting a call from Mike Roach."

"Mike Roach? As in Michael T. Roach, personal assistant to Prime Minister Thomas? My, my, isn't that exciting." Of course, Maes did not sound at all surprised.

"Maes . . ."

"Just calling to give you that update you requested on the current status of your little blond sweetheart," Maes plowed ahead.

"You know, if I were to tell him what you've been calling him lately, he'd probably go off on you so bad they'd have trouble finding all the pieces."

"Who do you mean by 'they'?" Maes asked. "I'm just curious."

"Maes."

"He's secured the Chimera, some sort of dog/lizard cross, now euthanized. Finding its creator is what's giving him problems. Looks like he's going to be a while on this one. Guess you'll just have to find someone else to keep you company."

"As if that's ever a problem for me. "

"Apparently it's not currently a problem for Ed, either. Seems he and Porter's very attractive chief law enforcement officer have been spending some time together."

"And your point is? He's on a case. They are working together."

"Ed always prefers to work alone, as you well know. You don't find this unusual?"

"How Edward chooses to complete his assignments is entirely up to him. Thank you, Maes. I'll call you tonight and fill you in on how the phone conversation with Roach goes."

"Do that." Maes hung up.

So Ed might be having a little fling. Roy idly tapped his pen on his desk blotter, frowning. Well, so what if he was? He was young, and definitely available. The kid had urges just like anyone else, and by Roy's calculations he'd been doing without for almost two months. Still, this was Edward. Up until now he had never shown any inclination to see other people, and Roy just couldn't picture him doing so. It was probably just business. Obviously Maes thought Roy might be upset about this, and had most likely expected to hear that he and Edward were having some kind of lover's quarrel. Maes in all probability had planned to commiserate with Roy, offer a platitude or two to make him feel better, perhaps suggest that most couples hit a bump in the road of love occasionally, or some other such romantic horseshit. Now he probably assumed that Roy wasn't upset because he trusted Ed to be faithful to him. Roy smirked at the irony.

Roy's thoughts were interrupted by the phone ringing once again. Mentally shifting gears, he once again waited for the third ring before grabbing the receiver.

"Brigadier General Mustang."

"Roy! Glad I caught you in!" Mike Roach greeted him with his cheerful baritone.

"Mike." Mustang smiled. This was his game, and he thoroughly enjoyed playing it. "How are you?"

"They tell me I'm very good. And yourself?"

The Brigadier General allowed the smile to tint his voice. "The same."

"I was speaking to the Prime Minister and Furher Grumann, and your name came up." Good. Straight to business. "They are rather intrigued by your recommendations. The liberties Creta has been taking along our mutual border have become quite worrisome, and appear to be escalating."

"Compromise can only go so far before it is perceived as weakness. Sometimes peace is better achieved by a demonstration of strength."

"Indeed. I thought you should be the first to know that we will be putting some of your suggestions to the test."

Mustang's smile widened. "Glad to hear it. I'm always pleased to be of service to my country."

"There's something else you should know," the advisor's tone became conspiratorial. "Is this a secure line?"

"Definitely." Kain Fuery regularly made certain of that.

"Parliament is in the process of creating a new Cabinet portfolio - Defense Minister. Its purpose would be to take over the duties of the Furher, thus eliminating that position in the hierarchy. Of course, Furher Grumann is on board with the idea, and is the obvious choice as the initial appointee, but he'd also be the first to admit that he's not getting any younger."

"Quite true, though for a man in his late seventies, he's remarkably fit. He is an excellent military strategist as well." Roy had served under the man during his previous tour of duty in East City, and had only ever beaten him at chess once.

"Indeed. My point, however, is that we will be looking in future for someone a little more, shall we say, progressive? And once again, your name has come up in conversation as someone with great potential."

"That's good to know. I'm delighted to hear that I inspire such confidence."

"Well, your overall track record is quite impressive. Your performance during the Ishbal rebellion showed your dedication to the performance of duty, but also your restraint in exercising authority. Your peace time record also shows some very impressive accomplishments, not the least of which being the role your command played in that whole Bradley debacle. With Grumann installed as Defense Minister, he'll be looking for a few good men - or women as the case may be, to fill some advisory roles. Our new Minister will definitely need someone to oversee the State Alchemist Program, which is long overdue for an extensive restructuring. Not being an alchemist himself, he'll require the expertise of someone who is, and I certainly can't think of anyone better suited to that role than one Roy Mustang, Flame Alchemist. Can you?"

"As a matter of fact, no, I can't."

"I think a rank of General would be required to make that appointment easier to swallow for some of the old school senior staff, however. And a transfer back to Central would also be necessary. That will require considerable effort on your part of course. The Furher can't be seen openly grooming you for the position."

"Of course." All part of the game, as far as Roy was concerned.

"Very good then. I'm sure I don't have to ask you to keep this on the down low for now. I'll be in touch, Roy."

"Thank you Mike, and please be sure to give my regards to Prime Minister Thomas and Furher Grumann as well."

"Will do."

Roy hung up the phone, and just sat for a few moments, basking in the warm glow of knowing that all his hard work was finally beginning to show some serious results. The late night strategy sessions with his supporters, midnight phone calls made and received from allies and adversaries alike, dinner parties fraught with political maneuvering, not to mention the day to day navigation through the minefield of quirky senior staff here and in Central- all of it was starting to come together. Just a little bit longer. His goal was finally within reach. If he played his cards right, he'd likely get that promotion to General within the next six months to a year, since he'd been working a number of angles for at least that long already. He had to call Maes as soon as he got home from the office so they could map out a few new lines of attack.

Leaning back in his chair, the Brigadier General realized he was far too adrenalin charged to sit still reading routine reports and signing endless requisitions. He needed a distraction. Snapping open his briefcase, he pulled out his notorious Little Black Book.

Luke, a Critical Care nurse at Bradley Memorial Hospital. A lovely man about Roy's own age. Pleasant conversation over a late dinner, then perhaps a show on the Strand, and finally Luke's place for a nightcap. Roy smiled as he picked up the phone once more, and dialed. As he waited for his call to be answered, amber eyes and golden hair flashed through his mind, and he briefly wondered if Edward was in fact seeing Porter's Sherriff in more than a professional capacity. The Flame mused that oddly enough, until that day, it had never consciously occurred to him that The Rules worked both ways.


	10. Chapter 10

Ten

It was dark in the culvert, but as it hadn't rained since he'd arrived in Porter, at least it was dry. Ed moved slowly, thankful that the moon had not yet risen. Close behind him Sherriff Brown's Junior Deputy, Randall, was doing his best to move silently. Ed wished he'd noticed the man following him sooner. He should have expected it after all. Randall appeared to be suffering from a bad case of hero worship – however misplaced - and had been determined to assist the young alchemist with everything possible, to the point of actually being in the way. Now, as they approached to within about 20 meters of the isolated farm house where they hoped to find the Autoclave Alchemist, Edward wondered if there was some way he could get the man to allow him to enter the house alone.

Peeking up over the edge of the culvert, Ed noticed a single light in a window on the upper floor of the two story house. It wasn't very late – around 10 pm – but he couldn't afford to delay paying a visit to the former State Alchemist, the lack of solid evidence be damned. Not if what he suspected was true.

Edward has met the woman two days ago. In her fifties, she had been living in Porter, under an assumed name it turned out, for over ten years. She had shown up in town right around the time that the Ishbalan Rebellion was at its peak. The woman had established herself as an alchemist for hire, often bartering her skills when times were hard, and was a well respected member of the community. The local kids liked to come to visit her, because she made time to mend their broken toys, and always had fresh baked cookies ready for them. She'd offered some to Edward when he'd visited the isolated farm house she called home two days ago with an innocent smile that didn't quite reach her eyes, but the aroma of all the fresh baked cookies in the world couldn't cover the tang of high energy alchemy Ed tasted in the air around her. What had caused her to turn to chimera research was a mystery to Ed. Of course, why anyone would want to dabble in that field was beyond him. He also suspected that she had decided to use her baking skills to lure some unsuspecting kid into one of her arrays. Sherriff Brown, Deputy Karl, and a good many of Porters residents were currently out searching for a missing eight year old boy. Ed was just about to try to persuade Randall to stay in the culvert while he approached the house, when he saw movement and a dim flash of reflected light out of the corner of his eye.

It was on them in a split second, and Ed just managed to bash its head aside with his right forearm as it lunged. His automail clanged off their attacker's skull, jolting all the way up to his shoulder. What the fuck?

Wasting no more time, the outer forearm plate was quickly transmuted into a short blade. Forget stealth now. Randall had let loose a shriek in the initial attack as he scrambled away. It was nearly pitch black in the culvert, but Edward could see where the creature was, a roughly man-sized darker shadow crouched against the lighter gray of the trench's wall.

"Randall! Make a run for it!" Ed shouted, just as the creature lunged again. "Go call for backup!"

Ed slashed at the thickest part of the shadow, and connected, but once again his steel limb clanged, and the blade slid aside without penetrating. The alchemist dodged backward and lashed out with his left foot, connecting with a dull clank. The creature was right in his face – he could feel its hot breath – and he felt something tear through his jacket to rake across his ribs.

"Shit!"

Ed clapped again and slapped his flesh hand on to the trench wall behind him. Blue-white tendrils of energy played over the spike of stone that shot out, and the creature yelped as it was slammed back into the opposite wall. The boy clapped once more and pressed his hands to the ground. The stone wall morphed to enfold the creature and hold it more securely.

Panting, Edward prodded at his injured ribs, noticing that Randall was gone. He quickly scrambled out of the culvert and crossed to the house at a dead run, skidding to a stop on the porch. Clasping his hands together to let the energy build, the alchemist then slammed both hands into the door, causing it to explode inward in a hail of wooden spikes, but instead of rushing inside, the teen dodged to the side, clapping again.

Another misshapen shadow sprang through the opening, and this time Ed was ready. Crashing his hands to the porch floor, he caught this chimera in a large wooden hand. The creature shrieked in ear splitting rage and thrashed in the tight wooden grip, but was unable to free itself.

Now wishing that the moon had risen so he might see what the hell was inside the house, Ed cautiously edged around the opening he had created for a peek inside. No movement. He eased through the doorway and into the house.

The light suddenly came on, blinding him. Without a moment's thought, the young man threw himself as far to the left as he could, and felt a damp heat slip past him. Squinting, he made out an archway and dodged through it, into what appeared to be a dining room.

"Your reflexes are quite impressive, boy." The woman's melodic voice reached him over the pounding of his heart. "I think experience will prove to hold the greater advantage though."

Ed took a chance and bobbed his head out into the foyer to locate his opponent, and barely managed to keep from being blasted by a high speed jet of steam by ducking immediately back. He'd caught a glimpse of her though – on the stairway, near the top, white gloved hands together with the fingers pointed in his direction, the white plume seeming to appear from between them. The Autoclave Alchemist's talent was her ability to manipulate the molecules of water vapor present in the air using complimentary arrays on the palms of her gloves. By causing the molecules to vibrate very quickly, she could create jets of superheated steam, and direct them with great accuracy.

"You'll find me a much more intelligent opponent than my pets I think, though I am working on improving their cognitive abilities." The woman said.

"By including something more intelligent in the mix?" Ed guessed.

"Hmm, yes. I'm getting rather good at this. That first pitiful creature you captured was one of my earlier attempts, the first to survive the transmutation. Given its low intellectual level, I was quite surprised at its escape. I'm having a much better success rate now, and the results are most impressive. After tonight I suppose I'll have to relocate though. Pity."

Why did these assholes always feel the need to talk shit in the middle of a fight? Ed scanned the dimly lit room for other exits, finding none. He could transmute another door, or he could try a transmutation blind. He knew her general position. If he could use the carpet on the stairs to immobilize her . . . was it getting hot in there?

"It's nice when the weather is this humid," he could hear the older woman sigh. "I appreciate the warmth so much more as I get older. And the extra moisture in the air makes it easier for me to keep the house heated in the evening when it gets cool."

The air in the dining room was definitely getting hotter. Mist was gathering on the floor and curling around Ed's legs.

"Of course it takes me a bit longer to heat large volumes of air, but given a little time I can build up quite an impressive temperature."

Ed didn't know if she was bluffing, but he decided that he wasn't going to wait around to find out. He clapped and launched himself from his refuge far into the foyer. Like Mustang, the Autoclave Alchemist's most effective strategy was quick, long range attacks and the older woman was waiting. Her jet of hot vapor missed Ed by inches as two shots rang out from outside the house, distracting her. Ed transmuted a barrage of wooden spikes at the woman as he presented a moving target across the foyer. She pressed her palms together again, and another high speed jet of steam blasted out from between them, directly at Edward.

The young man clapped and sprang forward, flat to the floor, in an attempt to dodge the blast. He felt a searing pain across the left side of his face, neck and back as he pressed his palms down to the hardwood. The blast of scorching hot vapor abruptly stopped as the stairway beneath his attacker's feet suddenly folded up like an accordion, dropping her heavily from the second floor out of sight into another stairwell below the first. Ed charged, automail blade at the ready. As he leaped onto the gap he saw her. Sitting on the steps looking up, teeth bared, right leg strangely twisted, she was bringing her hands together again. Ed lunged to grab her right and slam it backward into the steps as he drove his flesh knee into her gut. The older woman's breath whooshed out and she doubled over.

Only his sharp reflexes saved him from the short blade that sliced up towards his throat. He managed to twist out of the way, still pinning the gasping woman's right hand so she couldn't roast him alive, using his automail blade to parry the next thrust. Then he noticed her eyes flick upward over his shoulder for a split second, and in a moment of pure panic, he threw himself down the stairs backward.

Getting his first look at one of these things in the light, Edward found that it was nothing like the first chimera he had tracked down in Porter. That one had been an imperfect blend of dog and lizard, awkward and in constant pain. This sleek creature was all metallic fangs and claws, with asymmetrical spikes protruding from along its back and tail, as well as from around its neck like some weird dog collar. In mid leap, the chimera couldn't stop its attack. Flexing around to track Ed, it landed off balance directly on top its master, two spikes thrusting deep into her chest.

"You little bastard. You killed me."

Ed didn't stick around to find out if the woman could do more than talk. He scrambled to his feet from the cold damp stone of the cellar floor and put some distance between himself, the chimera, and his victim. A door stood ajar to his right and he sprinted through it, slamming it behind him before clapping his hands once more. He didn't have time to do anything else as the door exploded off its hinges and the chimera bowled him over. One of the creature's spikes pressed into his right shoulder, between the flesh and metal. Another penetrated his right forearm between the transmuted blade and the wrist flange. Its fangs bared inches from Ed's face, the teen slapped his left hand onto its forehead and loosed the cycling energy into its head. Ed couldn't have said who screamed louder, the chimera as its head exploded, or him.

The alchemist lay there panting for a few moments, then struggled to roll the creature's limp body off him. Sitting up, he took in his surroundings.

This was obviously the Autoclave Alchemist's lab. A large room that occupied over half of the upper structure's base, it was ringed with a few large work tables and a number of cages, some occupied, some not. Most notable however was the large transmutation circle in the middle of the floor. At its centre lay a large iguana, an even larger Golden retriever, and a small child, each arranged in one of three linked rings.

Ed looked around and finally spotted the expected bucket of water and wet sponge nearby. He unceremoniously sluiced the bucket over the neatly drawn chalk lines, washing away a wide slice to break the circle, not wanting to chance accidentally activating the array. Then he stepped inside to check on the child. As expected, the little boy was simply unconscious. Ed took a few moments to drag the two also unconscious animals to unoccupied cages and shut them in, leaving the boy where he was. Then, cautiously approaching the doorway, he peeked out toward the stairs, ready to dodge back into the lab if necessary.

"She's dead," said Randall, crouched beside the woman, shotgun over one shoulder.

~0~

Edward sat on the examining table, waiting for Porter's town doctor to come in and stitch him up. His injuries weren't severe for the most part – his clothing had protected him from more serious burns – but they were painful, and worse, his automail arm was malfunctioning. The cause was probably a combination of the spike that had penetrated his shoulder, and the one that had slipped into the inner workings of the limb through the flange. He had to be careful how he held it; the metal limb tended to send sharp sparks of pain into his shoulder if he rotated his wrist or put any pressure on his forearm. Some of the wiring had to be crossed up in there. Man, Winry was going to kill him. At least she wasn't prone to throwing wrenches anymore.

The door opened, but it wasn't the doctor that came in. It was an annoyed Sherriff.

"What the hell did you think you were doing, running off to confront a desperate criminal like that?" Maxine growled. "You put not only yourself, but my deputy in danger."

"Everyone was out looking for the missing kid when I got the call from Central Headquarters confirming the woman's identity, and I didn't know Randall was following me. I did tell him to go for back up though," Ed said apologetically.

"Yeah, he told me. So he went back to his car and got his shotgun." The woman smirked. "Said he didn't think his sidearm packed enough punch. You suspected that she was responsible for the boy's disappearance, didn't you." It wasn't a question.

"I wasn't sure, and even if I had been, I didn't want a bunch of civilians getting caught in the crossfire." Ed carefully pressed the cool palm of his automail hand over the burn on his face. "She was a former State Alchemist, combat trained. She disappeared while posted in Ishbal during the Rebellion. She could have taken out an angry mob of townsfolk without raising a sweat, just like she was trained to."

The doctor chose that moment to reenter the examining room, preventing Maxine's response.

"Alright Major Elric, let's close up those lacerations shall we?" the older man chirped happily. "Can't have you bleeding all over the train on your way back to East City now, can we?"

"When you leaving?" Maxine asked casually.

"As far as I know, the next train to Central is early tomorrow morning," Ed kept his eyes on the red head, and off what the doctor was doing.

"Great!" The Sherriff grinned. "That means I'll have a chance to treat you to dinner before you go. I own you one, after all."

"Discretion is definitely not your middle name," Ed flinched slightly as the doctor began to suture his wounds.

"Discretion? Why would I want to be discrete about stepping out with a sexy blond half my age?" Maxine snorted. "Hell, half the town is patting me on the back, and the other half is jealous."

"Too right," muttered the doctor.


	11. Chapter 11

Eleven

Roy sat in his office, paperwork ignored on his desk, waiting for Edward to report in. He knew his subordinate had been back in town since the previous evening, and had hoped the boy would show up at his home, but once again was disappointed - though 'disappointed' was probably too strong a word. Well, the kid couldn't put off coming in to make his report much longer. As per regulations, he had to check in as soon as possible after returning from an assignment, and that meant sometime today whether he liked it or not. Since his telephone fact finding session with Alex Armstrong had turned up no enlightening clues, Roy had decided that he would force the issue of Edward's avoidance of him and settle the matter, once and for all, one way or the other. He was determined to know what exactly was going on, and had no intention of leaving the matter up in the air any longer.

That was, of course, until the young man walked through the door.

Quietly stepping into the office, right arm in a sling, the set of the boy's jaw told Roy that he was in more than a little discomfort. The Brigadier General had read the report sent by Porter's doctor as to the extent of Edward's injuries, but actually seeing the angry red burn marring the left side of the boy's face from chin to ear . . . the Flame Alchemist was certainly no stranger to that particular brand of pain. The medical report listed an assortment of nasty wounds that were hidden from view, but noticeable from the way the young alchemist moved, a slight stiffness marking his usual athletic glide. More scars to add to his already extensive collection. And to top it all off, the kid looked totally drained.

Stopping in front of the older man's desk and dropping the report, Edward began outlining the highlights of his assignment without preamble.

". . . and the Autoclave Alchemist was killed by her own chimera. The kidnapped child was uninjured, and returned safely to his parents. Two of the chimerae were killed at the scene. One was shot by Deputy Randall Wells when it attacked him outside the farm house, the other I killed in the basement lab when it attacked me. The two captured chimerae were euthanized. All the chimerae remains are in the main lab here at Headquarters. Some of the researchers are interested in discovering how steel was successfully introduced into the transmutation to reinforce the creatures' scales and skeletal structure. Unfortunately, the suspect's notes were nowhere to be found," Ed concluded.

"I'm sure they weren't." Mustang arched an eyebrow at his subordinate. "It wouldn't do for that kind of information to make its way into the wrong hands, would it?"

The younger man remained silent.

"You appear to be in rougher shape than usual, Edward. The medical report I received catalogues some rather painful injuries," older man watched the teens face carefully. "Your target was killed as well."

"I'm fine." An automatic response.

The Brigadier General sighed. "Very well. You are officially relieved from active duty and on medical leave for the next two weeks. I expect you'll want to go to Central to see your automail mechanic. Let me know if you need your leave extended."

As Ed turned to go, Roy decided to try again.

"I would very much like to see you before you leave for Central," he said gently.

Edward didn't even turn around. "Not interested," he said as he quietly left the room.

Roy sat staring at the door for some time after the teen had left, trying to identify the strange feeling in the pit of his stomach. He hadn't made the offer because he wanted to jump the kid's bones – his condition really didn't warrant it after all. The older man had just felt the need to spend some time with the younger, to make sure he was alright. The kid was sensitive, and a death on his watch was sure to be affecting him . . .

_. . . cross-legged on the living room floor, book forgotten in his lap, staring through the opposite wall into some unpleasant memory, Roy's hands running up his arms to squeeze his shoulders, one warm and soft, one cool and hard, continuing on across his chest, pulling him back into his own, golden eyes flicking up as the boy leaned into his embrace with a sigh, welcoming this comfort . . ._

The Brigadier General finally shook his head, and reached once again for the Little Black Book. The kid's kicked puppy look had momentarily roped him in. He should have known better than to show any concern for Edward's condition, or expect a civil response to it. If the brat wanted to slap the kind hand offered and sleep injured on a lumpy dormitory mattress, rejecting Roy's comfortable king size out of sheer stubbornness, too bad for him. There were plenty of other people who would be only too happy to spend time with Roy Mustang. He leafed through the pages, finally settling on Terry Williams. The young lady, a petite blue-eyed blonde about five years Roy's junior, owned a flower shop near Headquarters. It had been a while since he'd called her, but she quickly accepted his offer of dinner and dancing.

He decided he wasn't going to let Edward's attitude bother him. He was Brigadier General Roy Mustang, Flame Alchemist. He was on his way to the top. And he was still one of the most eligible bachelors in East City. Hell, make that Amestris. It was the kid's loss, not his.

~0~

Out on the town later that evening, walking arm in arm with his lovely date, Roy was back to normal. They were on their way to a little café off the main in the entertainment quarter for a light dinner before heading to the dance hall. A 20 cen note slipped to the hostess gained them a secluded table in a quiet corner.

Waiting for their order, engaged in pleasant conversation, Roy was startled to hear a familiar laugh.

It couldn't be.

He scanned the room, eyes finally falling on the last person he'd expected to see. Sitting almost directly across the room in another secluded corner was Edward Elric. And he was not alone.

The girl looked vaguely familiar to Roy, but he couldn't place her. Rich chestnut hair falling to her shoulders framed her pretty face, a light sprinkling of freckles over her smooth cheeks, clear grey eyes sparkling. Her neat, short-sleeved white blouse and pale yellow skirt subtly showed off her attractive figure. She was clearly enjoying Edward's company. And Edward . . .

But for the fact that he'd heard his laugh, Roy would probably have missed his youngest subordinate. Instead of his usual low braid, Edward had tied his hair back in a high pony tail, the radiant gold of his hair falling to the center of his back. His eyes on his companion were sparkling honey, an easy grin relaxing his smooth features, the cold aloofness displayed in the office absent. Absent as well was his usual attire. He had long since exchanged his hooded red coat for a more subdued black jacket, but tonight he wore a white, long-sleeved shirt topped with a tan vest snugged into his slim waist, a dark brown jacket discarded over the back of his chair. White gloves hid the young alchemist's automail from view. Roy peered through the other patrons in the café, vying for a better view.

"Roy." Terry had obviously been trying to catch his attention for some moments.

"Oh, I'm sorry," the man smiled at his date. "I just caught sight of one of my men."

"Really?" the young woman asked skeptically, looking in the direction her date had been staring. "Who?"

"Major Elric."

The woman's eyes widened. "Edward Elric? The Fullmetal Alchemist? That Major Elric?" she asked as she looked intently across the café again.

"The very one," Roy smiled indulgently. This might be his chance to do a little spur-of-the-moment snooping. "Would you like me to introduce you?"

"Would you?" Terry's eyes lit up. "We wouldn't be bothering him?"

"While Edward is generally very short tempered, I'm quite certain he will remain civil for a brief introduction." Roy stood up and moved to pull his date's chair out for her. Taking her elbow, he maneuvered the woman towards the other couple's table.

Ed spotted them when they were halfway across the room, and the warm smile directed toward his companion slid from his face to be replaced by the cold mask Roy was unfortunately becoming very accustomed to in his office. He stood awkwardly from his seat as Roy and his date walked up to the table.

"Good evening, Fullmetal. Fancy meeting you here." Roy purred. "And who is this lovely young lady so kindly gracing you with her company?"

"Kelly Connor, this is Brigadier General Roy Mustang, my commanding officer, and . . . "

Roy took over the introduction. "My date, Terry Williams."

"A pleasure to meet you, Major Elric," the blonde woman made to take his hand, then stopped, noticing the sling. Her attention turned to Ed's date. "And you as well, Ms. Connor."

"Likewise." Ed said without inflection as Kelly nodded.

Ed and Kelly exchanged a glance. "I'm sorry, but we'll have to be going if we're going to get to the show in time," Kelly said. "Nice to meet you both."

"Yeah." Ed said, "See you in a couple of weeks, Mustang."

"Indeed Fullmetal."

The younger couple quickly made their way out of the café.

"I take it he doesn't like you very much," Terry said as she and Roy returned to their table.

"Nonsense. He's just a little out of sorts," Roy unfolded his napkin as the waiter approached with their orders. "He was injured a couple of days ago on assignment. I'm quite surprised to see him out and about actually."

"Hmm. His girlfriend seems very nice."

"Girlfriend?" Roy quirked a grin at his companion. "Friend girl, more likely. The wholesome, girl next door type, yes. I was pleased to see that she was at least able to get him to dress a little more like an adult for a change."

"I think he looked very nice. In fact, I'd venture to say he's quite striking. On the market too, you say?" the blonde woman grinned teasingly. "I'm surprised you haven't made a play for him yourself. I certainly would."

"By all means, be my guest," Roy smiled pleasantly. "I'm afraid you might find him rather rough around the edges though."

"I could smooth him out," Terry murmured as their waiter approached the table. "It would be fun. Is the problem that you just aren't his type?"

"I'm everyone's type. Perhaps he isn't mine." Roy sipped the wine the waiter had served, and nodded his approval. He continued as Terry was served in turn. "He's my subordinate. He's also very young. I prefer a more sophisticated partner."

"I suppose you're right. And if he actually lives up to his reputation, he's likely not the type to hop from bed to bed." Terry gazed at her date through lowered lashes seductively. "While you prefer it that way. Best not to tempt fate, hmm?"

"Tempt fate?" Roy smirked his trademark smirk. "It would take a lot more than what Edward Elric has to offer before I would consider making any sort of commitment."

"Still, your protégé has grown into a very attractive young man. It's only a matter of time before he realizes that, if he hasn't already. With him on the scene, you could find yourself scrambling for his leftovers in no time. You had best watch out, Roy," clear blue eyes twinkled, teasing.

Roy rolled his eyes and grinned. "But as you so astutely observed, he is simply not the type. And even if he was, Fullmetal has a long way to go before he can expect to challenge the master."


	12. Chapter 12

Twelve

It had been quite a while since Edward had been to Central, and his screwed up automail wasn't making the two days of train travel any more comfortable. Still, he was almost there. In just a few more minutes he would see Al and Winry. It felt like a great weight was being lifted off his chest, and he was allowed to breath freely. There was nothing like being with people who knew him, who he didn't have to hide anything from. He could just be himself with his brother and his best friend.

Not that he was completely isolated in East City. He had friends. Havoc, Breda, and Fuery were good company when he was in the mood for social interaction. Nothing could cheer him up faster than the antics of those good natured clowns. They usually made a point of getting together for lunch when Ed was in town, and Ed suspected it was because they knew he was lonely now that Alphonse was living in Central. Of course they were older than Edward, so they didn't generally invite him along if they were going anywhere that restricted minors – not that it mattered to Ed. He didn't see the point of getting shitfaced on cheep booze anyway. Mustang's 'no one can know' rule made it difficult for Ed to relax around his comrades as well, having to watch what he might accidently say when he let his guard down.

Kelly was proving to be good company as well. He'd called her up when he'd returned to East City, and met her the next evening for a quick dinner, wanting company but not feeling up to anything complicated. She'd been pretty upset when she'd seen the sling and the burn on his face though. Ed had joked that she seemed more upset about it than he was, but she hadn't laughed. There were no questions about his mission, which suited Ed just fine. He had no inclination to talk about his job with anyone outside the office anyway, but he sensed that details would make the librarian even more uncomfortable than she already was. That was one of the drawbacks to socializing with someone on the outside, Ed guessed, but he decided it wasn't a big deal. There were plenty of other things about his life that he had to keep to himself. The specifics of his assignments were small potatoes compared to that. The girl had settled down by the time they'd finished dinner, and they were having a nice time - until the bastard had shown up.

Ed couldn't recall ever having seen Mustang in anything but his uniform, or casually dressed around the house. Last night his commander had been dressed in a charcoal grey suit cut perfectly to his broad shoulders and narrow hips. A mauve waistcoat and matching tie over a high collared white dress shirt completed the look. He'd had his jet black hair slicked back, a few locks artfully arranged on his forehead, impossibly dark eyes sparkling over his grin. In short, the man had looked like a million bucks. When he'd caught sight of the older man approaching their table with the stunning blond on his arm, it took all the self control Ed had to blank his face so his feelings couldn't show. That familiar ache had started in his chest, and he'd found it difficult to speak. Fuck, it was way worse than standing in the bastard's office. At least there he could set his mind on whatever business he was about, and get the hell out when he was done. There in the café, the prospect of having to make polite conversation staring him in the face, he'd felt trapped. Looking at Mustang's beautiful date, all he could feel was a deep envy for this person his commanding officer wasn't ashamed to be out with in public. Ed would be eternally grateful to Kelly for noticing how uncomfortable he was, and making up the excuse of being late for a show to get them out of there.

Afterward, the girl had attempted to lighten the mood as Edward walked her home.

"Your boss seems nice," she'd ventured.

"I guess, if by 'nice' you mean smug, annoying, and egotistical," Ed had growled, and Kelly had burst out laughing.

"I feel the same way about my boss," she'd confided.

Ed roused himself from his thoughts to notice that the train was slowing. It wasn't long before he was scanning Central Station's busy platform for his brother and his friend.

"Brother! Over here!"

Ed finally spotted the pair of blondes as they rushed towards him, dodging their way down the crowded platform. Alphonse grabbed him in a tight hug that Ed was only too happy to return, noticing that his much younger brother was catching up to him height wise, damn it. When they broke apart, Winry took her turn.

"Hell, Ed," Winry took in the sling holding her handiwork. "You wrecked it again."

"I told you it was broken!" Ed said, outraged. "That's why I'm here!"

"I know," Winry glowered at the damaged limb. "But it's always worse than you say it is."

"It's not like I break it on purpose," he muttered. "It was either the automail, or my ass."

"Let's get your ass home so I can look it over. The automail, I mean." The irate mechanic grimaced as she took hold of his left arm and proceeded to haul him through the crowd. Alphonse trailed behind, grinning.

"So brother, what have you been doing besides smashing up Winry's automail?" The street outside the station wasn't quite as crowded or noisy, but busier than Ed was used to. "You haven't written in a while."

"I was out of town for most of the last two months on a couple of bullshit assignments," Ed defended himself. "It's hard to keep in touch without the down time. I got your letters, though."

"So how are you and that miserable excuse for a boyfriend getting along?" Winry cut in, yanking Ed into traffic for a quick dash across a street. "I swear, that slave driver should cut you a little slack time. If it weren't for the fact that you keep damaging my automail, we'd never get to see you." It took her a few moments to realize that Ed wasn't answering with his usual defense of the older man.

Ed finally spoke. "I . . . I guess . . . we're broke up. It's over."

Neither Al nor Winry said anything for a moment, just stopped and looked at him. It was Winry who finally broke the silence.

"Well, it about time!" she said, smiling hugely. "What a relief! He was a big mistake, Ed. You deserve so much better!"

"What happened brother?" Al asked softly.

"Nothing, really." Ed met his brother's hazel eyes. "I just got tired of all the bullshit I guess."

"What did he say when you told him?" Winry wanted to know.

"Well, I haven't come out and actually told him yet, but I keep turning him down when he invites me over, so he's probably guessed."

"You have to tell him, brother."

"I know." Ed said quietly. "I will. As soon as I get back east. It's not like he'll give much of a shit."

"Well we do! This calls for a celebration!" the blonde mechanic declared. "How about we order Xingese tonight?"

"Sounds great Winry," Ed returned her grin.

The small automail shop wasn't far from Central Station, and the trio made it there safely despite Winry's tendency to randomly dodge into traffic to cross streets, risking life and, ironically, limb. The girl insisted on examining Ed's damaged arm immediately, and both boys knew better than to argue. After tsking and humphing over her abused handiwork for the better part of an hour, the blonde girl finally pronounced it fixable, then grabbed up the phone to order the proposed celebratory Xingese feast.

The three youngsters retired to the small apartment above the shop to eat and catch up on each other's lives. Edward kept the conversation strictly away from Mustang, difficult as the other two blondes made it. They badgered Edward relentlessly for details of his impending break up with the older man, and while they made a very effective interrogation team, it was to no avail. Ed had no intention of coughing up any details, and resorted to his favorite tactic to redirect the conversation – using his brother and friend's differing views of their own relationship to tease them.

Winry and Alphonse had always been close, and since they had been living together it had evolved into a deep attachment that amused Edward to no end. But while Alphonse wished for that attachment to be more than friendship, Winry seemed oblivious to the youngster's longing glances, content with the status quo. Ed enjoyed teasing the two about it to the point where Al was ready to kill him, and Winry was ready to help.

"Come on, Ed," Winry wheedled, "He must have done something to finally get you to see the light. Some sort of, of . . ."

"Revelation," Al supplied. "What was it, Brother?"

"Honestly, the two of you sound like an old married couple," Ed smirked. "You're finishing each other's sentences and everything."

Alphonse just leaned back in his chair looking wistful while Winry looked daggers in Ed's direction.

"Don't be an ass," Winry snarled. "Al's like a little brother. Don't change the subject." She was looking at Edward as she spoke, so she missed Alphonse' pained expression. Ed, however, didn't.

"He's my little brother, Win, not yours." Edward peered into a greasy cardboard carton, looking for anything leftover at the bottom. "You'll have to redefine your relationship. Something more romantic would suit Al, you know. 'Boyfriend' sounds appropriate. It doesn't have the smutty overtones of a term like 'lover'. What do you think?"

"Brother!" Al's face phased through the entire spectrum, finally settling on beet red. "You . . . I . . . she . . ."

"What, are we playing some kind of pronoun game Al?" Ed asked innocently.

"He's eleven, Ed," Winry snatched the takeout box out of Ed's hand while he was gleefully distracted by his little brother's distress and attacked it skillfully with her chopsticks over Edward's outraged protests. "He won't be anyone's 'boyfriend' for quite a while."

"He's only eleven on the outside Win," Ed eyed the half empty container in the younger Elric's hands, but Al was well aware of his brother's intentions, and turned away to shield it with his body before Ed could make a move on him. The older boy grimaced, poking resignedly at the thoroughly emptied boxes discarded on the kitchen table. "You know he's actually a fully mature, sophisticated sixteen year old on the inside, right?"

"Yeah, well he's always acted more mature than you do most of the time." Winry sneered. "Pretty soon he'll be taller, too."

"Yeah, keep rubbing it in. That shit doesn't bother me anymore." Ed smiled sweetly to prove it.

"Besides," Winry continued, "When Al's ready to find a girlfriend, he's going to do it the way it should be done. Nice and slow . . ."

"Should I be advising him to take notes right now?" Ed cut in.

"Brother, please!"

". . . instead of jumping over the important, romantic stuff . . ."

Ed made gagging noises as Alphonse tried to shush him.

". . . like you did, Ed! And look where that got you! You cut out all the getting-to-know-each-other stuff and jumped straight to the sex . . ."

"You say that like it's a bad thing, Win." Ed grinned. "Poor Al." Ed laughed as Al covered his face with his hands, then snatched up the food carton his little brother had been holding and attacked it with gusto.

". . . and you're paying for it now!" Winry glared at her friend. "Al's not going to make that mistake! He's going to do it right!"

"I'd really appreciate it if you two would stop talking about me as if I wasn't here," Al grumbled.

"Do you want to outline the 'right' way for us then Win? I'm sure Al would be interested to know your preferences. Just out of curiosity, will he get to, shall we say, take it out for a test drive before the honeymoon?"

Al lunged, face flaming. He could still kick Ed's ass any time he felt like it. And right now he felt like it, broken automail or not.

~0~

Much later, after the automail was looked at, the catching up was done, the food was eaten, and the asses were kicked, Al and Ed made their way to the room they shared whenever Ed visited. Once the door was closed, Al sat down on his bed and motioned for Ed to sit next to him.

"So how's the thesis going Al?"

The youngster smiled. "I'm just about done. I want to present it before Winter Solstice, but there are a couple of points that are bothering me."

"Could I take a look at it?"

"I was kinda hoping you'd ask. Two heads are better than one." Al looked at Edward, fidgeting a little. "There's something else I wanted to talk to you about, brother."

Ed waited.

"Once I have this degree, I want to stay on at the University." The younger Elric started. "I want to go to medical school. Winry and I work really well together, and if I get my MD, we'd make a really good team in the shop."

"That's a great idea Al!" Ed's eyes lit up. "What does Winry think?"

"I haven't said anything to her yet, but I'm sure she'll like the idea. I wanted to see what you thought first. You're the one footing the bill after all."

"Well, I think you should do what makes you happy. Forget the money. You know we can afford it."

"I feel funny about it sometimes. You're doing all the work, and I'm reaping all the benefits."

"Shit Al, not this again," Ed sighed. "You got your life back. Don't waste it worrying about me. If it makes you feel any better, remember that I'll be turning up on your doorstep in a few months, fresh out of the army, looking for a place to stay. Then you can look after me for a while."

"It's not my door step, brother. It's our door step. How many times do Winry and I have to tell you that this is your home too?" Alphonse glared at his older sibling, exasperated.

"Okay, Al, calm down." Ed patted his little brother's knee. "But you know what I mean. And you really should stop worrying about Winry, too. Your body is growing up fast," Ed gave him a mock glare. "Maybe too fast. You and Winry will be a couple before you know it."

"It's like she's forgotten that I'm really sixteen, not eleven." Al sighed. "All she sees is a little kid."

"She won't forever. Be patient, Al."

Al snorted. "Look who's counseling patience, mister rush headlong into everything and smash up his automail."

Ed smacked his brother on the arm. "I'm not that bad!" he mumbled. "It's this damn job. I can't wait to get away from him."

"Him?"

"Huh? It! I mean it! The military!"

"What happened, brother?" Al asked again.

Ed opened his mouth to tell Alphonse once again that nothing had happened, that it was just the right time to end it, and everything just spilled out. His telephone prank, what the bastard had said afterward, what Ed had decided that day on the train – everything including what he'd thought and felt in the café the night before he'd left for Central. Al listened quietly through it. When he was done, Ed felt completely exhausted.

"I had a feeling something like this would happen eventually," Al's comforting hand rubbed small circles on his big brother's slumped shoulder. "It's not like you didn't know what to expect from him though. He made it pretty clear. I wish there was something I could do to make you feel better."

"Just being here with you is enough," Ed slung his left arm around his little brother's waist and tugged him in for a hug. "I feel a lot better just getting all that off my chest."

"You're so far away, brother. I worry about you. And I miss you."

"I know. I miss you too." Ed returned. "But I'll be eighteen in a few months. Then, when I'm finally out of the fucking army, I can put all this behind me. I'll come spend some time with you and Winry while I decide what I want to do. Everything is going to work out just fine. You'll see."

Ed smiled into the saddened eyes of his little brother to prove that he believed what he was saying, wishing he'd just kept his mouth shut. Al had enough to worry about without his big brother heaping more crap on his plate. Mustang was Ed's problem, and when he got back to East City, he was going to man up and end it. Then everyone could carry on with their lives, himself included.

He just wondered how long it would take before he stopped missing the bastard.


	13. Chapter 13

Thirteen

Brigadier General Mustang strode down the deserted halls of East Headquarters. The meeting with General Clayton had gone on much later than he had expected, but was worth every second. He now had a new ally here in the East, the Base Commander no less, and was therefore one step closer to the promotion he required. He'd head home, call Maes as promised, and fill him in on the details. He was also curious to know what Maes had found out about a Ms. Kelly Connor. Ever since he'd spotted Edward and the girl at the café, he'd found himself going over the ridiculous little scene again and again. Lost in his thoughts, it took Roy a moment to realize he was not entirely alone.

General Raven was one of the old school senior staff at East HQ, and had been one of Furher King Bradley's strongest supporters. In his late fifties, the man had a reputation for being very intolerant of younger officers he considered 'upstarts', State Alchemists in particular. It was whispered that he also had some very unsavory appetites, and was rumored to coerce his younger subordinates to satisfy them, though lately he had been keeping to himself. The tall, heavyset man stood by the stairwell, artificial smile fixed on Roy Mustang. The Brigadier General mentally steeled himself for what would likely be an unpleasant confrontation.

"Well, if it isn't young Mustang," the older man spoke up as he approached.

Offering his sharpest salute, Mustang brought himself to attention, "General Raven, Sir."

"At ease, Mustang. Rumor has it that you are once again on the path to promotion." The older officer barely kept the sneer out of his voice. "I was thinking that you might be in the market for some assistance."

Hmm, this was unexpected, and a little unsettling. "Sir. Any assistance you might offer would be much appreciated."

"Well, you know how it works, Mustang. I give you a little help, and you give me something in return."

The Flame said nothing, waiting for the older man to elaborate, but he already suspected that he wouldn't like what he was going to hear.

"I have heard that your subordinates are extremely loyal to you," the General started. "So much so, in fact, that they would go to great lengths to assist you in your rise through the ranks."

"My junior officers are indeed very supportive of my career goals, as I am of theirs."

"I understand that Major Edward Elric is under your command."

"Sir."

"I also hear he is on leave at the moment. Injured on assignment, was he?"

"Yes Sir. He is in Central at the moment."

"When he gets back, you would do well to let him know that a visit to my townhouse one weekend would go a long way towards gaining my support for your promotion."

This exchange was getting more bizarre by the moment. "I suspect Major Elric's loyalty would not extend to prostituting himself for my gain," the Brigadier General murmured.

The General's false smile was all teeth. "There are always other means of ensuring a subordinate's cooperation, Mustang. Physical means, chemical means, or a combination of the two. He trusts you, no doubt. I'm sure you could arrange it."

The momentary image of Edward drugged, bound and helpless, struggling underneath this disgusting piece of shit, ignited a rage so intense inside the Flame Alchemist that it shocked him to the core. Dropping all pretence of respect, Mustang looked calmly up into the older man's eyes as he reached into his pocket.

"You obviously haven't heard the full story when it comes to my subordinates' loyalty to me General," Mustang said with a tight smile as he pulled out his gloves. "I happen to be very protective of them as well." He pulled on each glove, never taking his eyes off the other man's, which widened as he realized what he was seeing. The red arrays traced on the white cotton were prominent even in the dim light of the hall. "And I am particularly protective of my youngest officer." The Flame Alchemist stepped into the other man's personal space and scraped the thumb and forefinger of his right hand together, sending small sparks spiraling up into the air between them.

To his credit, Raven held his ground. "A threat, Mustang?" he growled menacingly.

"A promise. If you ever so much as look at Major Elric in anything other than a purely professional manner, I will not hesitate to reduce you to a fine sprinkling of clean, white ash."

"You just made a big mistake Mustang," the larger man snarled, stepping back. "Threatening a superior officer. I'll have you up on charges. You can kiss your military career goodbye."

"I'm sure the circumstances surrounding the threat would vindicate me. Are you quite sure you want this brought out in the open General?"

"It's your word against mine, and who's word would carry the greater weight do you suppose?" The big man sneered. "Mine, or some pretentious little upstart's?"

"I'd put my money on the pretentious little upstart." A bored drawl cut in before Mustang could answer.

Both men turned toward the stairwell. General Olivier Armstrong, Base Commander of North Headquarters, leaned casually against the wall halfway up the steps, a slight smile playing on her lips. Her blonde hair, blue eyes, and statuesque build marked her blood line, though she was obviously not into pumping iron as was her younger brother Alex. Pushing away from the wall, she strode purposefully up the stairs towards the two men, hand on the hilt of her sword.

"Ah, Olivier, you heard his threat I'm sure," Raven boomed, false smile back in place.

"Hmm, yes, and the reason for it. Some things never change." The woman stopped at the top of the stairs. "I think Mustang's odds of being believed just went up, now that he has a credible witness to the circumstances surrounding his threat, don't you?"

A scowl twisted the older General's features. "Don't think this is over, Mustang," he snapped as he turned.

"Actually, you had better pray that it is." Armstrong called after him as he stalked away. "Word has it you are already on very thin ice."

Raven shot her a venomous glare as he rounded the corner at the far end of the hall, moving out of sight.

"Thank you, General," Roy turned and saluted. "I let my temper get the better of me. You just saved me from a very ugly legal battle."

"Nonsense, Mustang. His cronies would have talked him out of making a public spectacle of himself I'm sure." The woman sighed. "I wasn't joking about the thin ice. If he weren't so well protected by the remains of Bradley's old guard, he'd have been up on charges himself a long time ago, and good riddance."

"I'm rather surprised to see you here, Ma'am," Mustang said as the pair proceeded down the stairs.

"North Headquarters and West Headquarters have been assigned to go on maneuvers in the vicinity of our shared border with Creta," the blonde woman glanced aside at the dark haired man. "A friendly competition between our two Districts, hmm? Rumor has it that this show of strength was something you suggested."

"Yes, Ma'am. You're a little off course for a trip to West Headquarters though."

"Well, I thought I'd take a little detour to Lior and visit my brother. It's been a while, and Mother and Father insisted." She glanced at the younger man again. "Alex speaks very highly of you."

"Major Armstrong is a good man," Mustang returned.

The General snorted. "He's a sentimental fool. However, I have found that he is a very good judge of character. Good evening, Brigadier General."

Mustang watched her stride off down the hall, then turned toward his own office. It appeared that he now had an ally in the North as well. Entering his inner office, he gathered his thoughts for the phone call he would make to Maes when he got home. He made a mental note to have his friend check on Edward's condition, and to find out if the young Major had ever had any contact with General Raven. If it turned out that the General had anything to do with Edwards's odd behaviour of late, no earthly power would save him. What Roy had said to Raven was the simple truth. He _was_ particularly protective of his youngest subordinate.


	14. Chapter 14

Fourteen

Sitting beside Winry's low worktable in his boxers, one armed, with the lower part of his still attached automail leg clamped between two vices, there was no possible escape for Edward Elric when Maes Hughes walked into the workshop brandishing a stack of photos. Winry had determined that Ed had grown another full inch, and was adjusting the length of his leg. Ed was grinning from ear to ear despite the pile of glossies being thrust into his hand.

"Look at him Mr. Hughes," Winry said around the small screwdriver clamped between her teeth. "You'd think he'd won the lottery or something."

"You all should come on over to the house this afternoon. Elicia hasn't seen you in ages, Ed, and she'd love to," Hughes beamed. "Gracia told me to invite you all for dinner and not to take no for an answer."

"Yeah, sure," Ed said, leafing through the photos on the table, and Winry nodded as well.

"I can't make it Mr. Hughes," Al piped up from the outer shop apologetically. "I have some new data to incorporate into my thesis, and I want to get started while everything is still fresh in my mind."

"No problem Al. I'm sure Gracia and Elicia will understand."

Winry stood and walked to her tool bench, scowling. "Where's that damn socket set?" she mumbled to herself, and left the room, tossing an "I'll be right back," over her shoulder.

"So, Ed, how are the arm repairs going?" Hughes leaned over and peered curiously at the inner workings of Ed's leg.

"OK I guess. The actual repairs are done, but Winry is modifying the damn thing again, so I won't have it back for a couple of days."

"The burn still looks painful." Ed shrugged. "How's the rest of you holding up?"

"I'm good."

"I heard that your target was accidentally killed by her own chimera." The older watched the younger's face.

"I'll tell you the same thing I told the bastard. I'm fine."

"We worry about you Ed, that's all."

"I'm sure you do." Ed's face darkened into a scowl.

Maes raised an eyebrow and changed the subject. "You haven't been spending much time in East City, so I guess you didn't hear the rumors about General Raven. Seems he's in a bit of trouble over his past treatment of some of his younger subordinates."

"Raven? Yeah. Some of the younger recruits warned me about that pervert." Ed smiled his dangerous smile. "Glad to hear the asshole's taking some heat."

"Did he ever approach you?"

"Yeah, he kept trying to corner me whenever I was around East Headquarters, finally caught me as I was walking out of the third floor men's room a few months ago." Ed laughed a dark laugh. "I guess he thought he was dealing with some green kid from the rough country that he could intimidate."

"And?"

Ed leaned back, looking into the outer shop to make sure Winry and Al were out of ear shot, then continued more quietly. "He suggested a few things we could do together, I told him I wasn't interested, then he made some bullshit threats about 'my career'," Ed rolled his eyes, "Like I'd give a shit if my contract finished up early. He wouldn't let up, started to crowd me, so I clapped and grabbed him with my right hand."

"Grabbed . . ." Hughes' mouth went dry.

"I didn't hurt him much." Ed said, seeing the older man's reaction. "Just gave him a little squeeze, and transmuted the front of his pants into a big pink bow." The teen laughed. "You shoulda seen his face! Then I told him that if he bothered me again, or if I heard about him bothering anyone else, I'd transmute his dick into a-"

"What the hell are you two talking about?" Winry came breezing back into the workshop with the socket set.

"Ed was just outlining the reasons why we should never send him on diplomatic missions," Hughes told her.

~0~

As expected, dinner at the Hughes' made Edward wish he could visit more often. Sitting at the table soaking up the warm family atmosphere, he felt like a normal person, instead of a weird, half metal clockwork soldier. Afterwards, lounging on the back step watching Winry and Elicia pick dandelions for him, he felt more contented than he had in a long time. When Maes Hughes came out to join him he smiled a relaxed smile at the older man and sighed.

"This is the life," the young man said, turning his attention back to the girls prowling the yard.

"Nothing else like it in the world," agreed the older man. "We need to talk, Ed," he added apologetically.

Ed raised an eyebrow. "'bout what?"

"You'll be eighteen in five months. What are your plans?"

The blond scratched his head. "I don't have any, beyond getting the hell out of the army."

"That's what I want to talk to you about. Are you sure leaving the military is the best thing for you?"

"Take a good look at me, Colonel. You know on my last assignment I had to beat up a little old lady, right? And she did a damn good job of beating me up back. Do you think I like running around the country, hunting down chimerae, and screwed up alchemists, and psychos of every description? Getting beat up regularly? There has to be a better way to make a living."

"Take a good look at me, Major. I'm in the military, and I'm not getting beat up regularly, nor have I ever had to engage a little old lady in physical combat. Field investigations are just a part of the military picture Ed." The young alchemist looked skeptical, but Maes pressed on. "That was a pretty impressive investigation you conducted in Porter. As usual, your instincts were right on. You asked the right questions, put all the information together, came up with the right answers. It's what makes you an excellent field operative, but I think you're wasted in the field." The older man pushed his glasses up along his nose. "There are plenty of other divisions that would be a better fit for you. Take Intelligence, for example. Everything happens for a reason, Ed, and finding those reasons is what Intelligence is all about. It's like putting together an incredibly complex jigsaw puzzle, where each piece you add interacts with the others, changing the pattern, revealing even more complexity. It's challenging work. And I think that not only would you be good at it, you'd actually enjoy your job for a change."

"Intelligence, huh?" Edward thought it over. "Well, I guess it's an option. Still, I'd have to figure out how to get transferred, and I don't do people very well."

"Are you kidding?" the Colonel snorted. "You're a hot property Edward. Great field record, boy genius, Alchemist for the People. You're a national hero." Now it was Edward's turn to snort. "No, don't downplay yourself. Some of the senior staff are getting a little worried that we might lose you to the private sector. Don't be surprised if you're approached very aggressively in the next few months about a new contract. You could write your own ticket, get a post in Central if you wanted. I'd love to have you come work for me."

"You really think they want me that bad?"

"Edward, you have no idea. All I ask is that you keep an open mind. Don't reject any offers out of hand, but don't accept anything too quickly either. You should seriously start thinking about what you'd really like to do. Make a list of all possible options. Talk to Al. Talk to Winry. Talk to anyone else whose advice you value. That way you'll be ready when the offers start coming in." Maes leaned in a little closer, smiling conspiratorially. "And I guess you know that Roy will be transferring to Central sometime in the near future. Keep that in mind when you're making your decisions, too."

"Ed wouldn't care about that," Winry cut in as she settled on the step beside Edward, large bouquet of dandelions in hand. "He's dumping that creep."

"Winry!" Edward's blood pressure spiked up about twenty points.

"Well it's true, isn't it? You said you'd tell him as soon as you got back east."

"Yeah, but Colonel Hughes is his best friend! You shouldn't have said anything!" The blond ducked his head, glaring at the blonde mechanic. "And you wonder why I never want to tell you anything."

"This is for your own good Ed! Mr. Hughes is your friend too! It's better that he hears this from you! That way he gets both sides of the story!"

"There is no story! It's personal, Winry!"

Hughes eyebrows had shot up to his hairline. For once he was speechless.

"Edward?" the older man said finally.

"Don't ask me any questions. This is between him and me."

"Edward . . ."

"You can't tell him. That's for me to do."

"Edward . . ."

"I know he's your best friend, but don't worry, this won't bother him, believe me. He won't even care."

"Winry, will you excuse us for a moment?" Maes' look stopped any objection the girl might have made. She meekly took Elicia by the hand and went into the house. "Edward? Why do you think he won't care?"

"Because he won't! He said if I didn't like the way things were, I could leave. He said that because he knew I didn't like the way things were! He won't care when I tell him it's over. There isn't anything to actually _be_ over, anyway." The boy hunched down and put his hand over his eyes. Could his life get any more fucking complicated? Couldn't he just have a little bit of time to relax and watch a little girl pick flowers?

"What's going on Ed? What's he doing to make you so unhappy?"

The boy sighed. "He's not doing anything he hasn't always done. It's me. I knew the rules. Anyway, it doesn't matter anymore."

"Talking about it might help."

"Talking about it won't help a damn thing. My mind is made up. This whole mess was just me being selfish. He's got stuff to do and I'm in the way." Ed saw again the beautiful blonde on Mustang's arm in the café, and his heart clenched. "I don't even know why he wanted me in the first place. He can have anybody. Maybe he felt sorry for me or something." Edward looked up, finally meeting the older man's distressed eyes. "I know I'm putting you on the spot, but I want you to promise you won't tell him. I have to do it. I need to."

It took a few moments, but finally Maes said, "I promise."


	15. Chapter 15

Fifteen

Roy sat in his office, fiddling with the cord on his phone, paper work once again ignored aside from the doodles in the margins. It had been three days since he had called Maes, making his friend two days overdue for a return call, and Roy wasn't sure what to make of that. The last time they had spoken, they had discussed the confrontation with Raven, and Maes had said he would find out if Edward had been approached by the man. It was time for a formal complaint to be filed as far as Roy was concerned. Up until that evening in the upper hallway of East Headquarters, Raven's abuses had only been rumors and speculation. Now they were very personally confirmed. Roy had never liked the idea of that poisoned piece of shit hiding behind his rank and position, preying on the younger staff. It was fraternization in its ugliest form, the reason why it was sanctioned, what the rules were meant to prevent. The Brigadier General had just decided to pick up the phone and call his friend to see what he had found out when it rang.

"Brigadier General Mustang."

"OK, listen up, because I won't be on the line for long."

Roy knew right away that this wasn't happy go lucky, photograph wielding, everybody's favorite Uncle Maes. This was that ruthless, knife wielding, mean miserable prick Colonel Hughes. "Maes?"

"I'm told that General Armstrong's detour to Lior and East Headquarters had something to do with General Clayton. Word is that they're old friends, and Armstrong is looking for support for a Cabinet appointment. I'm guessing that she might be on Grumman's short list of possible Junior Ministers too."

"That's . . ."

"About that other matter, Edward tells me that he was approached by Raven a few months ago. I won't give you the details. Let's just say I now understand why the son of a bitch hasn't been harassing his subordinates lately."

"I can only imagine . . ."

"I also contacted General Rogers in the JAG. He agrees that his office should look into why complaints against Raven filed by junior staff have been ignored. Some of those soldiers and junior officers left the military very suddenly after filing those complaints, and he will be assigning some of his staff to locate and take statements from as many as he can find."

"So we're going ahead with . . .?"

"I left out who my sources were when I spoke with him. I'd like to at least leave Edward out of this if possible. . ."

"How is he?" Roy cut in.

The line was silent for a long moment, but Roy could feel the tension seeping over the line, and his heart rate tuned up a notch.

"When was the last time you spoke to him?" Maes tone was very cool, his game voice.

"The night before he left for Central. Maes . . .?"

"What did you talk about?"

"I ran into him at a café. We introduced our dates to each other. I told you about that."

"When was the last time you had an actual conversation with him?"

"What's with the interrogation Maes?" Anger tinted the Brigadier General's voice. "Where ever this is going, I suggest you cut to the chase."

Another long, uncomfortable silence.

"I was afraid this was going to happen. It's the reason I put off calling you," the Colonel told his friend, voice still cool. "And I can't tell you what's going on, because I made a promise."

Roy just listened.

"But I will say this," the other man continued. "Edward, Alphonse, and Winry are a part of my family now. Elicia believes they are her older siblings, and Gracia and I wouldn't have it any other way. All three of them have been through a hell of a lot. They deserve a little peace. We look out for Al and Winry here in Central, and I had hoped that you were looking out for Edward."

"I am. You know I am." Softly. "I've got people keeping an eye on him when he's in town, making sure he stays out of trouble. I do my best to steer him away from the particularly nasty assignments. It's not so easy when he's out there somewhere and doesn't stay in touch, but that's when I rely on your network to keep an eye on him for me."

A sigh. "That's not quite what I meant, but alright."

"Maes, what's . . . is he OK? This isn't just about that last assignment, is it? He isn't just freaked out about the suspect getting killed. He's been acting strangely ever since he got back from Lior."

"He's, well, depressed is too strong a word. Certainly unhappy, and I didn't even notice until Winry . . . set him off. I tried to get him to talk about . . . this, but he won't." Maes voice hardened again. "You need to talk to him. And I mean really talk. None of your bullshit."

The last time Maes had used this tone with him had been . . . just after Ishbal. What the hell was going on? Roy could guess who his friend had made the promise to, but not why or about what. He wasn't used to Maes being so cold to him, or being on the outside looking in, and it disturbed him. He had tried to talk to Edward. He could usually get the teen to talk when something was bothering him, teasing him until the younger man's temper flared and he blurted out what was on his mind. The trouble was that tactic didn't seem to be working this time. Roy's inability to get the kid to come over for some private time was also making it difficult for the older man to work out what the problem was, and that was Ed's doing, the obstinate brat. Everything had gone to shit after the younger man had pulled that stupid prank on . . . Oh. Hell. It couldn't be that, could it? It couldn't be . . . him? That little scenario had taken place just before Edward had left for Lior, so the timing was right. Roy tried to remember exactly what he had said to Edward that night in his entryway, and the day after in his office, but weeks had passed, fading the memory. He hadn't said anything beyond what he usually did to keep the boy in line, had he? No. This was crazy.

"What exactly did he tell you?" Roy asked stiffly.

"He didn't tell me anything, and Winry's not talking now either. Is there something _you_ need to tell me?"

"No." Long fingers rubbed his temple. "No. Not until I talk to him."

"I know that the two of you have never made your relationship public, but it never occurred to me that you might be treating him as if he were just another one of your casual affairs. He's an idealistic seventeen year old, extremely intelligent and sophisticated in many ways, and woefully inexperienced in others. You are his first lover. Everything he knows about that kind of relationship he is learning from you. Try to keep that in mind when you talk to him."

"You're missing the main point of that argument, and it makes all the difference, Maes. He's seventeen years old. This is an adolescent crush, driven mainly by hormones. That's all. This isn't about caring for a special someone. It's about satisfying basic urges."

"And what is it for you?"

Roy sighed. "What it always is for me. Sex. He knows this. I've made it very clear."

"Oh," was all Maes had to say, and Roy heard his friend's deep disappointment in that single, quiet interjection.

Roy swallowed around the tightness in his throat. "Whatever he's complaining about, it likely has very little to do with the actual situation. This is typical teenage angst, Maes. Think back to yourself at that age. Crushing on someone so hard it hurts one minute, then suddenly it's over and you're head over heels for someone else. It all boils down to a fleeting physical attraction. There is an emotional response, true, but it's more possessive than affectionate. Remember?"

"No, because it was never like that for me. And as far as I can tell, it's still that way for you."

"Not at all. I'm an adult. In my affairs there is never any sort of emotional response."

"And for your lovers?"

"I make it very clear from the outset that all I can offer is a physical relationship, no strings attached."

"Not everyone is as clinical about it as you, Roy. Attachments sometimes develop against a person's better judgment."

How well he knew. Roy sighed again, his friend's accusing tone wounding him. "That isn't my problem, Maes. If the terms become unacceptable, then my lovers are free to leave at any time. We're getting off topic here. Ed is not in love, anymore than I am. I have obviously done something to hurt his feelings, and I'll deal with it when he gets back. Then things will get back to normal. You're making altogether too much of this little drama."

"Am I?"

"Yes. Is he otherwise in good health?"

"Yes."

"Automail repairs proceeding on target?"

"Yes."

"Then I look forward to his return on schedule. Goodbye Maes." Roy replaced the handset.

Roy sat frowning at the telephone for some minutes after he had hung up. This was just great. Now his best friend was on his case, and Edward was the reason. Just when it looked like his goals were finally within reach, when he needed his friend's support more than ever, Maes had to start in on him about his relationship with that damn brat. Could his life get any more complicated? To be honest though, this was his own fault. He should never have allowed Maes' assumptions about his relationship with Edward to go uncorrected. It would have been better to put up with the occasional blind date than to have Maes so disappointed in him now.

Maes was right about one thing. Roy knew he and Edward were definitely overdue for a serious talk. But Edward depressed? That was a crock. Edward didn't get depressed. He displaced everything to anger. He yelled. He swore. He took it out on the furniture. Except . . . he hadn't lately, had he. The kid was like a different person all of a sudden. No arguments, slammed doors, outraged shouts. Whatever his problem was with Roy, he'd chosen to deal with it by not dealing with it – a completely uncharacteristic behavior. He was avoiding the situation, instead of charging straight in and confronting it, confronting Roy, head on. Whatever was up, it must really be upsetting the kid.

Fuck, he didn't need this right now on top of everything else. Scowling, Roy reached for the Black Book and fingered the cover, but didn't open it. The thought of a meaningless flirtation followed by perfunctory sex held no appeal for him. Alright then, straight home after work, with a quick detour to that deli down the street from his place. The one that he usually got take out from when Edward was coming over for the evening . . .

_. . . sitting on the kitchen counter, legs spread wide around Roy's hips, tightening leather pressed against his own growing need, cool steel palm stroking up his back under his shirt, warm fingers scritching on the nape of his neck, hot breath meeting his lips just before the flick of a tongue as strong legs folded around his waist, drawing him closer . . ._

Shit. A couple of stiff drinks and to bed then. It was a week night, but nothing much was going on lately, and he seriously needed the distraction.

East Headquarters had been fairly quiet, and it was making everyone nervous.


	16. Chapter 16

Sixteen

Edward sat on a bench in Central Park, watching the world go by, trying to follow Maes Hughes advice. Well, actually, he was avoiding Winry, who he was still mad at, and Maes Hughes himself, who had been stopping by way too often trying to get Ed to talk. As well, Al didn't need the distraction of his big brother moping around the apartment when he was concentrating on his thesis. Trying to wrap his head around the future while relaxing on a sun warmed park bench was one way to pass the time. The young man stretched out his legs, leaned his head back, and closed his eyes.

A list of his options. OK, start with the military, much as he didn't think keeping his State Alchemist's certification was a good idea, but he knew next to nothing about how the private sector did things. He'd get his list rolling in familiar territory.

First off, if he was going to stay in the army, he'd have to put in for a transfer, regardless of what division he settled on. Staying in Mustang's command beyond the end of his contract was out of the question, though he'd miss the rest of the team. He liked the idea of moving to Central Headquarters, though, even if that was Mustang's destination too. He wouldn't work for the bastard, but Ed had no intention of rearrange his life just to avoid him. He wanted to be closer to Al. As for what divisions he should consider, he'd have to do some research to find out what was out there, but for now, he'd consider the ones he was familiar with.

So, option number one, Investigations. Sub option A, field operative. Been there, done that, had the scars to prove it. It wasn't the least attractive option, but it was close. He enjoyed the travel, and he really liked helping people, but he was sick and tired of all the shit he had to wade through to get the job done. As he'd said to Hughes, there had to be a better way to make a living.

Option number one, Investigations. Sub option B, desk jockey. The idea of sitting behind a desk, collating a bunch of field reports sounded very much like a death sentence. Might as well just shoot himself in the head right now and avoid the boredom killing him later. Probably have to wear a fucking uniform too. Shove that.

Option number two, Intelligence, with Maes Hughes as his commanding officer. Hughes made it sound very appealing, but the man was a certifiable nut job. Just look at how he was about his family. Aside from the constant onslaught of photographs and anecdotes though, it didn't sound like a bad deal. There was also a reasonable sub option here in terms of field work, although it would probably involve covert operations, and Ed figured he was too well known to get away with that kind of stuff. The problem solving aspect was still appealing though, even from behind a desk. He could easily see himself involved in formulating and breaking codes. Still, the nut job thing. More research needed on this one.

Option number three, Security. He'd seen Security in operation a couple of ways. One was setting up what amounted to glorified sentry duty around restricted areas. Ed could probably offer a lot of advice on tightening up those kinds of operations, given the number of times he'd breached them. The problem was that some of the stuff that got the heavy guard treatment was crap that should be exposed to public scrutiny just so it could be shut down. Ed didn't want to be the one helping to cover some jerkoff mad alchemist's ass.

The other type of Security he was familiar with was personal body guard duty. From his experience, mainly with Maria Ross and Denny Broch, Security watch dogs took a lot of crap from the people they were protecting, himself included embarrassingly enough. He certainly couldn't see himself happily protecting a bunch of high ranking assholes for any length of time. He'd likely end up killing some of them himself. Security was probably not a good fit, given his personality.

Option number four, Research and Development. On the surface, this seemed like the ideal job for him. Ed did in depth research for fun, and had always enjoyed playing with his theoretical findings, often coming up with practical applications in the process. His personal research currently fed his needs in that area, one of the few things he did for pleasure these days. It wouldn't be much fun career wise though, knowing that the army expected the research that got developed to kill people.

With the sun warm on his face, the young man realized it was too nice a day to keep his mind on such tiresome crap. The problem was that he really had no idea what he wanted to do with his life now that Al was okay, and hadn't for quite some time. Focusing on the end of his military contract was really just a way of marking time. What he needed was a sense of direction. He opened his eyes to find Riza Hawkeye looking down at him with a small smile, Black Hayate by her side. The woman really needed to learn to make some noise.

"Hello Edward," she said, warm brown eyes twinkling. "Maes Hughes told me you were in town. I was planning to drop by to see you at the shop next week."

The blonde woman sat down on the bench beside him. The dog sat obediently on the ground between them, tail thumping with pleasure to see Ed. Ed obliged him with a lengthy scratch behind the ears.

"It's nice to see you Hawkeye," Ed smiled at her. "We all miss you. It's just not the same in the office without you. For one thing, everything takes about ten times longer to get done."

"I rather miss all of you, too," she said fondly, "though I am thoroughly enjoying my new assignment."

Ed didn't think he had ever seen Hawkeye looking so relaxed. The tall blonde woman had her hair in a low ponytail, and it softened the severe look presented by the tight bun she'd usually worn at work. The sporty tan blouse and grey slacks she wore also made her look more approachable. But the biggest change was in her face. Her eyes sparkled, and her easy smile was open and warm.

"I can see that," Ed grinned. "You look really good."

Her smile widened, and she draped her arm along the back of the bench, turning toward the young man. "You don't look so bad yourself, aside from the mementos from your last assignment," the woman returned, eyeing his injuries. "How have you been keeping?"

They spent the next while catching each other up on interesting news about mutual friends and acquaintances, Edward electing to accompany Hawkeye and her canine companion on their exploration of the park.

"You know, I was going to come talk to you about something," Edward said after a while. Colonel Hughes had suggested talking to people about his post-contract plans, and Riza Hawkeye was on the very short list of people Edward trusted. "My contract with the military is up in a few months, and I'm sort of looking for some advice."

Hawkeye quirked an eyebrow at the teen. "I'd be happy to help. Actually, I'm flattered you would come to me. Surprised too, really."

Edward turned to her, taken aback. "Why's that?"

"Well, there are other people you are closer to from whom you could seek advice," the woman said thoughtfully. "Maes Hughes, for example, or Roy Mustang. Are you and Roy still . . . getting along?"

Ed stopped. Was she asking what he thought she was asking? He looked closely at her face, noting the half smile, the knowing look in her eyes. She was. "So much for 'no one can know'." The teen said wryly.

"It was pretty much common knowledge in the office I think," Riza offered. "Though not outside of it, aside from the usual speculative gossip in and around the canteen."

"Huh. Well." Ed shrugged. "To answer your question, no, we actually aren't still 'getting along'." He tried to keep the bitterness out of his voice, and thought he did an admirable job.

"You lasted a lot longer than I thought you would," Riza confided. "I know how difficult it is to continue to care for someone who doesn't care for you."

"Everyone wondered why you accepted the transfer to Central Intelligence." Ed watched as Black Hayate investigated some intriguing smells by a lamp post. "I mean, we knew it was a great opportunity and everything, but we never thought you'd leave Mustang's side."

"I still support him. I believe in his vision for this country's future. I just had to distance myself from him on a personal level, and that was a daunting prospect having close daily contact in the office. He's uncomfortable with anything other than a completely superficial relationship, and I was looking for something more." The blonde woman glanced at her companion. "He wasn't like this when he was apprenticed to my father. Back then he was easy to get close to. I don't know what changed him. Maybe after Ishbal he decided he didn't deserve to be happy. Maybe he thinks a serious relationship will distract him from his goals. He just doesn't seem capable of letting himself get close to other people anymore. It's a very hollow existence he leads, thinking up reasons and excuses to keep people at a distance. I'm not sure he even realizes he's doing it. I took that transfer because I couldn't help him, and it was too hard to stand by and watch."

Edward was silent for a while, digesting this. Up until that moment, deep down he had assumed that the problems leading up to his break with Roy were mainly due to Ed's own failings. He was, after all, really quite talented when it came to fucking things up. He was young and inexperienced, and knew he was a possible embarrassment to Mustang, but he still wanted more than Roy had offered, hoping for what he had no right to. The Rules were Roy's protection from unforgiving public opinion; Edward was at odds with aspects of that protection, and was consequently jeopardizing Roy's goals.

Now however, with this new perspective Hawkeye had given him, the Rules appeared to have a dual purpose. They served to misdirect public scrutiny from Roy's inappropriate relationship with Ed, yes, but they also prevented Ed from getting close to Roy. And according to Hawkeye, Ed wasn't the only one Roy was keeping at a distance. The Flame did this, or something like it, with everyone. Ed saw the many casual flirtations the man engaged in differently from this new angle. Ed had assumed that Roy continued to play because Ed just wasn't the special someone Roy was looking for, but now Ed realized Roy wasn't looking for someone special. The older man's only goal seemed to be the avoidance of any personal involvement beyond the physical. Was that the reality of this? What could make a rational person shy away from meaningful relationships and want to settle for sex alone? Still, he wondered . . .

_. . . wrapped close in warm arms, soft even breaths ghosting against his chest, dark lashes shadowing his lover's cheek, moonlight polishing smooth, pale skin, sprinkling stars through jet black hair, the man's strong arms tightening gently, protectively, as he shifted closer with a contented sigh . . ._

Ed shook himself out of his musings. That was just wishful thinking, and this new perspective didn't change a thing. In fact, this made it even more clear that Ed had to back away from Mustang if he wanted a relationship with someone who would return his feelings in kind. Hawkeye had known the man since they were kids, and she'd given up on him. What chance did Ed have? The young alchemist didn't have to know the reasons behind Mustang's actions. It wouldn't change them. The man didn't care, and he never would. The reasons why were irrelevant. Time to go.

Hawkeye had been watching the emotions play across the teen's face as he thought over her words. "I know it hurts, Edward. It hurts because you care, and that's healthy. Just don't take his behaviour to heart. Keep your distance and you'll feel better in time. Believe me, I know." Riza tugged on Hayate's leash, leading him away from the lamp post. "And about seeking my advice? I'm thinking a strategy session tomorrow evening over dinner, then dancing at the Majestic, Mustang bashing optional. All on a completely platonic level of course. What do you say, Major?"

"Uh, I don't know how to dance, Major."

"Then it's high time you learned."


	17. Chapter 17

Seventeen

One week later in the early afternoon, sitting in his office, Roy Mustang was once again awaiting the arrival of his youngest subordinate. Roy's sources had informed him that Edward had arrived in Central early that morning, and had already picked up his dorm assignment. If the teen had kept to his usual routine, his next stop would have been the lab to update his notes with any inspirations that he'd had while away, then he would have made for the base cafeteria for lunch. That would exhaust his options for delaying his check in with Roy, which meant that he would be showing up at the office very shortly. Good. Roy wanted to play the kid's little game and get it over with so he could move on to more pressing matters. Even though it had been quiet in the East of late, the Brigadier General had been kept very busy.

The road to Roy's promotion was still very much under construction, and though their conversations were stilted by virtue of the issue both men were skirting around, Maes had continued to keep Roy informed and advised on the political front. Mustang had not been the only officer approached about possible advisory positions on soon-to-be Defense Minister Thurman Grumman's personal staff. The heads up had gone out to several other suitable candidates, and the competition was fierce. Maes and Roy were both of the opinion that what the Flame Alchemist really needed at this point was something to make a good impression on the brass. That meant Roy had to keep his eyes and ears open for a suitable something in which he could involve himself, and ironically, scouring the numerous field reports that crossed his desk on a daily basis was his best bet at finding one.

Then out of the blue had come General Barkley, looking to co-opt Kain Fuery away from East Headquarters and Roy's squad. The man had heard about Fuery's electronic expertise, and had decided that the timid young Sergeant should be transferred to his command in New Optain. The General had been very aggressive, unwilling to consider alternatives or respond to compromises. Roy had to call in quite a few favors in order to stonewall Barkley and keep the Sergeant on his team, but his efforts had been successful, for which Kain was extremely grateful. The Sergeant would have to take an assignment for Barkley in the very near future, but remained in Mustang's command.

All this hadn't kept Roy's mind off the situation with Edward however. In fact, his mind kept wandering back to the boy at odd moments, turning what little he knew of the situation over and over again in his mind. As far as Roy could tell, the kid's feelings were hurt, and he was probably psyching himself up to give Roy some sort of ultimatum, which the older man would likely have to reject. In that case, it was obviously over between them, but if he was honest with himself, Roy didn't in fact want it to be. That in itself surprised the man when he realized it, and lead him to some other surprising realizations.

He missed the kid, for one. It had been well over two months since they had spent any time together, and it wasn't just the sex that Roy missed. It was the companionship. Because of rule number one, Edward always got together with Roy at the older man's home, unlike Roy's other lovers. Everyone else he took out, wined and dined, and ended the evening either at their home or a nice hotel. Never his place. On the other hand, Edward always came to him, and the evening's entertainment generally included takeout from somewhere close by, talking shop around playful banter, perhaps a game of chess. Edward often spent the night as well, something else Roy avoided with his other lovers, and Roy found his sleep undisturbed by nightmares with the boy wrapped protectively in his arms. It was a whole different level of intimacy. Strangely enough, the volatile young man was comfortable to be with. Ed understood him in ways few people ever could, understood Roy's demons and how he faced them, because Ed had his own demons to face. The older man didn't have to hide that side of himself from the boy. It was the closest Roy ever came to just being himself. In fact, the only other person he'd ever felt that way with was Maes Hughes.

He'd been taking the boy for granted, and that had been a mistake. There had to be a way to continue this, at least for a while. With the additional stress of driving his political ambitions to fruition, the Brigadier General felt he needed the comfortable respite that spending time with Edward presented. Roy was fairly certain that kid was still crushing on him, otherwise he wouldn't be so upset over whatever wrong he perceived Roy had done him. He briefly considered telling the blond how much he valued his company, but rejected that idea immediately. That admission would put him at a disadvantage, make him too vulnerable. He didn't want to take the chance of having the kid throw it back in his face. No, a better strategy would be to exploit Ed's soft-heartedness. The first step would be to get Edward to drop the shield of cool indifference he was currently putting up to keep Roy at a distance, sweet talk him a little, then hint at the pressure he was under right now and hope the kid backed down. Later he would get the kid to spit out what was bothering him, and hopefully patch things up between them, but that was better left for when he could get the teen alone.

Voices raised in greeting outside his office alerted the Brigadier General to a visitor, and he finally heard the voice he had been waiting to hear. Moments later his door was opened and the Fullmetal Alchemist once again made an uncharacteristically quiet entrance. The boy looked much better than the last time he had stood there, sling absent, burn healing nicely, exhaustion replaced with the set of determination on his features.

The blond stepped up to the Brigadier General's desk, face neutral. "Reporting back for active duty, bastard."

Now, how to crack that mask. Edward's favorite subject was his little brother. "Welcome back, Fullmetal, you're looking well rested. I trust you enjoyed yourself in Central. How are Alphonse and Ms. Rockbell?"

"They're fine. What have you got for me?"

"Patience, Edward. We are firming up the details on something at the moment. Everything should be organized by early tomorrow. Tell me, how is Alphonse' thesis progressing?"

"It's fine."

This was going to require a little more effort. The older man leaned forward, resting his chin on one hand. Try a different approach. "I was surprised to see you on the Strand the other night Edward. Your young lady friend certainly seemed to be enjoying your company." No response, but this approach wasn't mined out yet. "I suppose it's only natural that some of my charm would have rubbed off on you."

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

Ah, finally. A nibble. "I'm talking about keeping your date happy and entertained, Edward."

"How could I have learned any of that shit from you? I've never been your 'date'. Rule number one."

Oh, wrong move. Should have anticipated that. Try a different track, offer a small concession. "True, and that, perhaps, has been an oversight on my part. We wouldn't be violating the rules by having lunch together once in a while, would we?"

"Not interested."

"You'll have dinner with Ms. Connor, but won't have lunch with me? Fullmetal, I'm hurt." Roy teased.

"I prefer to spend my time with people who are not ashamed to be seen with me in public."

"Ashamed? What?" Oh shit! Where the hell did that come from? With a sinking feeling, Roy felt control of this exchange slip from his grasp. "Edward, I'm not . . .! I don't know where you got that impression, but it's totally false!"

"Yeah, whatever. Doesn't matter anymore anyway." The younger man took a deep breath, and looked him straight in the eye. "It's over. We're done."

The quietly spoken words hung in the silence of the room. Roy was utterly floored. How the hell could he have misread the situation so completely? This was supposed to be about soothing an angry teen's bruised ego and moving on from there. Not . . . not . . . this! Edward stood his ground, waiting for some response, golden eyes still locked to Roy's.

Roy finally spoke, voice strangely distant to his ears, wondering at the pounding of his heart, the painful twist in his gut. "Edward. I . . . I don't . . . How can you . . . Don't I get any say in this matter?"

"You've had your say. 'If you don't like it, you can leave at any time.' My 'choice', remember?" Edward's teeth suddenly clenched so hard Roy wondered why they didn't crack. "Well, I don't like rule number one, but I didn't want to be an embarrassment to you, so I went along. I don't like rule number two, because I don't like waiting in line, hoping you might find some time for me in your busy schedule. And I don't like rule number three, because while I may be a half metal freak, I'm not a machine. I have feelings for you, and I can never expect those feelings to be returned. So it's time to leave." The boy never raised his voice, but as he spoke, the cold rage built until his body shook with it.

"I, I don't understand, Edward," Roy finally found a way to respond, a feeling very much like panic scrambling his thoughts. "If you were so unhappy, why did you put up with it for so long?"

"Because I loved you, you stupid asshole. I know that doesn't mean anything to you, but it's true. Are you happy? Now you have something else to rub my nose in." The younger alchemist' quiet laugh was bitter. "You'd better have your fucking fun quick though, because in a few months, I'm out of here. And if I never see you again? It'll be too fucking soon."

This was an utter disaster. What he'd convinced himself was a sulky teenager with an adolescent crush, was turning out to be . . . what? He'd managed to crack the kid's mask all right, but wasn't finding what he'd expected underneath it. Roy realized he was twisting in the wind, entirely out of his element, and completely at a loss for the words he needed to just _fix_ this. "Edward, I don't . . . I don't. . . "

"Forget it Mustang. No more bullshit. No more games. I've had it." The kid was pale with fury now, fists clenched, but still his voice was quiet. "If you don't have an assignment ready, dismiss me. From now on we're strictly business."

And because he couldn't think of anything else to say, Roy whispered, "Dismissed."

Then he watched the kid turn on his heel and stride out of the room. Heard Havoc call after him, concerned. Noted how Havoc's apprehensive expression change to relief when he poked his head into Roy's office.

"Wow, I never saw the Boss come out of here looking like that before. I thought he might have finally murdered you." The First Lieutenant worriedly took in his superior's stunned expression. "Sir? Are you alright?"

~0~

When the phone rang for the tenth time in three hours, Roy knew he should have continued to ignore it, but by then he was too far gone to have any common sense left. He staggered up off the floor wondering how he'd ended up sitting there, and stumbled unsteadily toward the telephone, accidently kicking over the bottle on his way. Good thing it was nearly empty.

"Hello?" He concentrated on trying not to sound as drunk as he felt, and hoped that he had at least managed not to screw that up.

"Drinking on a week night Roy?" Maes voice was gentle. "I take it Edward said what he had to say. He thought you wouldn't care. Guess he was wrong, huh?"

"I screwed up, Maes." It was alright to admit this to his best friend. Oh, wait. "You're still my friend, right?"

"Wow, you're really out of it. We'll always be friends, Roy. You should know that."

"M'kay." The room seemed to be slowly tilting over on its side. "I don't feel so good."

"Wait 'till tomorrow. This is nothing."

"He called himself 'a half metal freak' Maes. Why would he say that?"

"That must be what he sees when he looks in the mirror."

"Tha's crazy though. Kid's smart. How come he doesn't know he's beautiful?"

"I guess nobody he trusts ever told him. Where are you right now?"

Roy laughed. "I'm home. You called me, 'member?"

"Where in the house are you?"

"Oh. Living room."

"OK. I need you to do something for me Roy. I need you to go lie down on the couch, on your side. Not your back. Can you do that?"

"Not an idiot," Roy mumbled as he did as he was told.

"That's a matter of opinion."

Mustang dropped onto his couch and rolled clumsily onto his side, pulling at the phone by its cord until it fell off the side table. Then he pulled it along the floor to rest beside him. "Kid's got more balls than I ever had. Said he loved me Maes."

"That's nice. Are you on your side?"

"Loved. Pas' tense."

"Ah. I'm sorry. Are you lying on your side?

Roy nodded.

"Roy?"

"Yeah."

"Hang up the phone and close your eyes, OK?"

"He couldn't a loved me. He's jus' a kid. It was jus' a crush. Right?"

"Don't think about it now. You need to sleep, Roy. Just hang up the phone and close your eyes."

"Do you still love me Maes?"

"Yeah. Idiot."

Mustang smiled, hung up the phone, and fell asleep.


	18. Chapter 18

Eighteen

In the beginning, when Edward first got his State Alchemist certification, he had absolutely hated coming into Mustang's office. The bastard used to drive him bug shit crazy, picking on his height, his age, his methods, his mistakes, even his damn spelling and handwriting – anything to purposely drive him into a blind rage. Then later, when he and Roy were seeing each other, Edward started to look forward to coming to the office. He so enjoyed spending time with the older man, even mission reports and the associated verbal sparring were a pleasure. But that gradually gave way to frustration. He'd do the mission report routine and hope that Mustang had some spare time for him, but Roy apparently didn't value their time together as much as Edward did, and more often than not the younger man found himself brushed aside in favor of a more enticing someone. Finally, all that was left was shame and regret.

Right now though, what he was feeling was dread. Mustang's reaction to Ed leaving hadn't been the indifferent, possibly amused brush off Ed had expected. The young alchemist hadn't thought to factor the older man's pride into the break up equation, and that had been a major oversight. The bastard had seemed stunned, obviously not used to people breaking it off with him. Ed had clearly dealt the man's pride a severe blow. The older man had been caught by surprise yesterday, but he'd had last night to prepare a response, and was sure to have some serious payback planned. Mustang knew exactly how to hit Ed where it would hurt the most, and was almost guaranteed to take advantage of that now. It wasn't going to be pretty.

To be honest, though, Ed was sorry he'd lost his temper the day before, so he was prepared to suffer the consequences. It wasn't Mustang's fault that Edward was unhappy with the situation. The older man had always been completely up front with the younger. He'd laid it out as bluntly as possible. No commitment. Just sex and nothing more. He'd made it as clear as possible that he felt nothing beyond a physical attraction for the young alchemist. How could Ed expect him to return feelings he didn't have? Ed thought he'd had himself tightly under control when he'd walked into Mustang's office yesterday, planning to calmly tell the man that he was no longer interested in being his dirty little secret, but when he'd finally told the bastard that it was over, he'd felt an overwhelming sense of loss. And as a purely reflexive response, Ed had fallen back into an old habit. Fear, grief, loss, shame, guilt – they simmered inside and made you feel helpless. Anger was easier, a familiar old friend. You could direct it, out and away. So fair or not, angry was what he became.

The whole damn confrontation had just been shit, start to finish. Ed had thought he would find comfort in knowing that it was finally done. He had been expecting to at least feel some relief after taking that final step away from Mustang, but he hadn't. Instead he felt shell shocked, lost and lonely, heart aching. It was hard to believe that he would never again know the older man's touch, or hear his quiet whispers in the dark, or enjoy his teasing smile. Edward had thought about calling Kelly, maybe going out with the girl to take his mind off his now officially ex-lover, but rejected the idea immediately. He didn't know where the young librarian expected their friendship to go, but Ed knew that right now friendship was all he could offer. Before he could realistically offer more, he had to get over Mustang, because he still cared for the smug fucker, and Ed understood now that it was going to take some time before he didn't anymore. In the mean time, he wasn't going to string anyone along, giving them the impression that he was interested in anything beyond friendship, when his mind was still on what he had lost. That wouldn't be fair. So for now, he was on his own.

Havoc, Breda, and Fuery were in the outer office when the Major arrived, all three gathered around Breda's desk. They looked up as he entered.

"The Chief's in General Clayton's office," Havoc told him. "Said he wouldn't be long, and that you should wait."

"Whatever. What are you guys looking at?" Ed made himself comfortable at Havoc's desk.

"It's like a questionnaire," Furey said, eyes still on the magazine on Breda's desk. "It's a list of things you should know how to do, if you're, like, a man."

"So, Havoc, right now you're zero for four. Let's try number five. Can you put up a tent?" Breda asked.

Havoc thought for a moment. "Does it come with instructions?"

Furey and Breda looked at each other. "That's a 'no'." Furey interpreted.

"Give me a break," Havoc groused. "How about you, Breda, can you pitch a tent?"

"Depends on what I'm looking at." The heavy set man leered, and Havoc rolled his eyes. "How about you Fuery? Could you put up a tent?"

"Can you be more specific? I'd have no problems with a pyramid or traditional A-frame, but the modified A is really a two man job."

"Can't you just say 'yes' and be done with it?" Havoc muttered.

"How about you, Ed?" Fuery asked. "Can you pitch a tent?"

"Real men don't use tents, Kain," Ed said, yawning.

"Good answer," Breda nodded his approval at the young Major. "OK, number six. Havoc, can you make a martini?"

"Real men don't drink martinis, Heymans," Havoc said loftily.

"No, but their dates might, which, come to think of it, makes it a nonessential skill for you."

The door burst open and Mustang stalked into the office, looking bleary eyed and very rough around the edges, carrying a thin case file. "First Lieutenant, arrange for two rail tickets to Youswell, earliest possible departure," he snapped.

"Sir!" Edward vacated Havoc's space so the older blond could get busy.

"Sergeant Fuery, familiarize yourself with the particulars of this case. I'll be speaking with you in a moment." The Brigadier General passed his subordinate the file he held.

"Sir!"

"Second Lieutenant, that magazine had better not be pornographic." Dark eyes bore into Breda's.

"Sir! No Sir!" The magazine disappeared into the desk.

"Fullmetal. My office." The older man strode ahead, and Edward followed, closing the door behind him as Mustang took his seat.

"This is a simple, and hopefully short technical assignment in the Eastern Townships. Actually, as requested by New Optain's Base Commander, the assignment is Sergeant Fuery's, but he has very little field experience, so you'll be escorting him. He has the case file. In short, the area has recently been experiencing intermittent communication disruptions between the outer townships and New Optain. They have ruled out sabotage, and now believe it's a hardware problem, hence the request for our expert to personally assess the situation in an attempt to resolve it. You are going along to make sure he doesn't get bullied. As you know, the locals in that region are not fond of the military." Roy steepled his fingers under his chin. "We need to talk."

"Unless it's business related, I'm done talking."

"Then it's my turn. Edward, I don't want to break up with you."

"No, why would you? With no investment on your part, you get a cheap fuck toy at your convenience. There when you need it, gone when you don't."

"You're being much too harsh."

"You are, of course, entitled to your opinion. Sir."

"Your anger is way out of proportion for the situation. What you were feeling wasn't love. It was a crush. Hormones, Fullmetal. It's perfectly natural for teenagers to go through a good number of them before they experience actual love."

"Whatever."

"Our arrangement was mutually beneficial. Unless you're going to try to tell me that you didn't enjoy the physical aspects of our get-togethers?"

The younger man glared.

"I thought not. The whole point of the 'no commitment' rule was so that when the time came, you would be free to pursue a relationship with someone with whom you had more in common, perhaps someone your own age."

Ed stared at his commander, incredulous. "Someone my own age? You complete moron! Do you know any other seventeen year old State Alchemists with five years field experience? What the hell could I possibly have in common with anyone my age? Your rules were always for your benefit, not mine."

"The fact remains that what you may have felt for me couldn't have been love, Edward. It was a crush. Nothing more. You've blown this whole thing out of proportion. You are too young to know what love is."

"No, actually, I think you're the one who doesn't know what love is. You don't seem to have any personal experience with it at all. You do a lot of superficial fucking around, but that's about it. When was the last time you actually cared about anyone Mustang? Or better still, when was the first time, if ever?"

Roy gritted his teeth. "Any intimate personal relationships I may or may not have had are not open for discussion. I'm trying to put this into perspective for you."

"This conversation is pointless. I don't understand why we're even having it. Wait," Edward's eyes narrowed. "This is really about you getting dumped, isn't it? Well if it makes this easier for you to deal with, let's just say that you dumped me. It's not like I give a -"

Mustang slammed both fists down on his desk and stood, causing the teen to jump. "I'm not breaking up with you, and you're not breaking up with me," he hissed.

"W-what?" The Major's amber eyes were wide with surprise.

"I screwed up yesterday. I should have known better than to try maneuvering my way around your feelings. That wasn't fair. This is important and we really do need to talk. Then, afterward, if you still want to walk away, fine."

"That's . . . that's. . ." Edward's shoulders slumped. "Okay. But I'm not going to change my mind."

"We both need time to cool off. You'll be on assignment with Kain. We'll talk when you get back. Dismissed."


	19. Chapter 19

Nineteen

Sitting on the train later that day, Edward knew he wasn't being very good company for his colleague. Kain Furey was excited to be going out on an assignment. It wasn't often that he left the confines of Headquarters on military business, and Ed supposed the man felt like he was going on some kind of adventure. Well, maybe he was. Kain would find out soon enough, however, that the definition of adventure included a lot of boring train travel, crude accommodations, infrequent meals, and a whole bunch of people who appeared to have nothing better to do than to make things as miserable as possible for the people sent to help them. It was two days by rail to Youswell where they were to meet their contact, a Colonel Brand from New Optian, and while Ed was happy to have company on the road for a change, he was more accustomed to being alone with his thoughts on assignments.

The young alchemist was making an effort to hold up his end of their conversations, but it was proving to be difficult. Fuery definitely knew Ed was distracted, because the younger man kept zoning out, and while Kain appeared concerned, he wasn't one to pry. The Sergeant had been in the office yesterday, a witness to Ed's stormy exit from Mustang's inner sanctum, so he probably knew that Roy had something to do with this pensive mood, but Edward wasn't free to talk about what had happened even if he felt like it, which he didn't.

Actually, Ed couldn't imagine better company than Kain Fuery to provide a distraction from his failed love affair. Even Al would likely have been too much to take, trying to get Ed to talk out his feelings when all he really wanted to think about was absolutely anything else. Kain was a gentle soul, very easy on the nerves, but his timid nature concealed a very sharp mind. Kain's passion for electronics rivaled Edward's passion for alchemy, and they'd often bounced ideas off each other, once they'd discovered the two fields had a lot of overlap at the molecular level. Where Edward used arrays to store, focus, boost, limit, and direct energy to generate a transmutation, Kain used vacuum tubes, capacitors, transformers, diodes, and resistors for the same purposes to generate electromagnetic transmissions. Wireless communication was still a young science, but Kain was on top of all the latest developments. If not for his timid nature, he'd certainly have made a name for himself in the industry long ago.

But even with the distraction of an interesting travel companion, Edward's mind kept drifting back to Mustang's office. Yesterday in anger the young alchemist had said a lot more than he'd intended, even admitting that he'd loved the older man. Today the bastard had thrown it all back in his face, saying that Edward was too young to know what love was. Fuck him. Edward had plenty of experience where love was concerned. All he had to do was close his eyes, and there; his mother stood by the kitchen window, gazing up the road into the distance, quietly waiting for someone who would never return. He could see her lying in her bed, desperately ill, glazed eyes hopeful as he and Al walked into the room, and Ed had known who it was she longed to see in the doorway. Her last thoughts had been of Hohenheim Ed was sure. Trisha Elric had loved that son of a bitch to the bitter fucking end. While Edward no longer hated his father for abandoning his family, he would never forgive him for the pain he'd caused his mother.

Even from personal experience, Ed knew the difference between a juvenile crush and love. When Mustang had shown up at Rockbell Automail the day after he'd lost his limbs and Al's body, the officer had looked like walking salvation. If he hadn't been there to offer the Elrics that glimmer of hope in the form of a possible military contract, Ed knew it wasn't likely that he would have survived for very long. The crush came on full blown the day he and Al had arrived in East City for the first time. Izumi Curtis' alchemy was amazing, but Mustang roasting the train highjacker with a snap of his fingers right there on the platform was the most bad ass thing Ed had ever seen anyone do with alchemy. Mustang had been stunning, all confident poise and arrogant smirk, dark eyes alight with lethal intent, amused as he raised his right hand and snapped. It had made Edward's heart leap into his throat just to watch.

The crush continued and got stronger as the years went on, though Ed never let on that he felt anything other than contempt for his commanding officer. When the hormones kicked in, it got even more intense. After his quest was completed and the homunculi and their master were defeated, Ed had been high on having his brother back in the flesh, believing that maybe, just maybe, he was allowed to be happy now. And there was Mustang, newly promoted, strong and sure and sexy as ever, looking Edward's way. He'd seemed somewhat surprised at Ed's enthusiasm for his advances. Really, he should have known better than to expect the Fullmetal Alchemist to play coy.

At what point the crush turned into love, Edward wasn't exactly sure. It was a gradual change. He thought it was probably already happening before he and Roy started their relationship, but the physical intimacy sped the process along. The difference wasn't so much in the intensity, as in the focus. The sex was amazing, whether it was frantic and wild or slow and tender, but only part of the picture. Waking up next to the other man, warm and comfortable, gave him a sense of peace he had never known before. In quiet conversation he was contented and relaxed. Mustang knew all about the things he had done, what the automail meant, the why of his brother's armour and lack of it now, was aware of all his sins. And Edward knew about his commander's tour of duty in Ishbal, what had happened to the Rockbells, the why of his drive for political power. They understood each other. It was easy to be with Mustang. And being away from the man made him feel strangely incomplete. It hadn't become painful until Ed finally accepted that he was alone in this, and that these feelings would never be mutual.

This whole thing was his own fault. He should have backed off as soon as the rules came out. Mustang had always been up front about his feelings, or lack of them. The man had a dream, and couldn't afford to have Ed fuck it up for him. Why he was dragging this out Ed had no idea. He couldn't even realistically see them being friends after this, at least not in the foreseeable future. But what the hell, bring it on. Let the man have his say. Mustang could talk all he wanted, about crushes and hormones and whatever the fuck. As far as Ed was concerned, it was a done deal, and there was no looking back. Starting right now what he had to do was get his shit together and flush all thoughts of the bastard and his bullshit games out of his mind, because he was finished with that crap, and his stupid, fucked up heart was just going to have to deal with it.

"Ed?"

"Huh? Oh, sorry Kain. What was that again?"

"I was just wondering if maybe the problem in the Eastern Townships could be caused by some sort of naturally occurring electromagnetic field. There's extensive mining in the region. Do you know anything about the iron content of the bedrock?"

"Hmm, no, but the local miners will. We'll need some sort of EM field detector to rule out or confirm natural interference."

"I think I could rig up something serviceable."

"I don't doubt it." The blond grinned. "It's bothering me that this problem is recent, though. If it's natural, why wasn't it a problem before?"

"Maybe something's changed."

"Pass over the case file and let's have a look at the timeline."

The two officers paged through the file, making note of where and when each disruption was reported. Each time communication went down, it always came back up on its own, usually before investigators got to the scene, but not always. There was no trace of any damage to the broadcast equipment, intentional or otherwise. There also didn't seem to be any particular pattern to the events. The most recent one had been two days ago in the vicinity of Youswell, which reported the majority of the disruptions.

"This whole thing just doesn't add up," Ed chewed on a fingernail, scowling.

"I don't see anything either." Kain took off his glasses to clean them with his handkerchief. "What do you usually do when you're on an assignment and nothing makes sense?"

"I usually look around, get some firsthand information, feel out the situation, maybe shake things up a bit, then go with my gut." Ed grinned as Kain put his glasses back on and gave him a skeptical look. "Sometimes it's all you got."

"Okay, then I guess we'll have to wait and see what we can find on site." Kain shifted his gaze to the swiftly passing scenery. "So what do you usually do when you're stuck on a train for two days?"

"Well, when I'm alone I usually pick apart my research notes, looking for theoretical holes, but since you're here. . . " Ed reached into his jacket pocket with a grin and pulled out a well used deck of cards tied with a piece of string.

Kain reached for them and started shuffling. "You bring your research notes with you?"

"Yeah, in my head. Takes up less space."

"Five card stud. No wild cards." Kain dealt them each one card down, then one card up. "Penny ante okay with you?"

"For now." Ed checked his hole card. "Okay. I'm in for five."

Kain pulled out a sheet of paper and pencil to keep track of the betting. "Is this what you and Al used to do to pass the time when you guys were working together?"

"Yeah, among other things," Ed said. "It's nice to have someone along for a change. Traveling alone is boring."

"You have no idea how glad I am that you're here," Kain returned. "I always get nervous in new situations. The Brigadier General had to agree to this assignment to keep me from being transferred to New Optian, and I really want to do this, but I'm glad he assigned us together."

"You're an important member of his team Kain. Of course he'd look out for you."

It must have been something in his voice, because the dark haired man stopped examining his cards and looked up. "You're important to our team too, Ed."

"Sure I am." Ed smiled like he meant it. "Come on, ante up. You're not folding on the burn, are you?"

"See your five, raise you five. How do you like me now?"


	20. Chapter 20

Twenty

Roy Mustang sat in the darkened living room of his quiet, empty home, wishing that the evening was cool enough for him to light his fireplace. Watching the flames' flickering dance always settled his mind.

Having a drink had been a mistake last night. He had only planned on having one or two to take the edge off. The next thing he knew he was waking up on his couch with a skull crushing, gut churning hangover, edgier than ever. So tonight he was going to leave the bottle alone and think this through like he should have done long ago.

In spite of all the excellent reasons why he should just let Edward go, one fact remained. He didn't want to break up with the kid. And he didn't want the kid to break up with him. At least not like this. This was ugly and painful, and causing the boy pain had never been Roy's intention. All he'd really wanted was a mutually satisfying sexual relationship with Edward. Over the years, Roy had had many such relationships, and he couldn't think of a single one that had ended with hard feelings.

Maes was right though. Edward was not like his other lovers. He was much younger for one thing. Roy was also Ed's first lover, which would hold special meaning for someone young and idealistic, as Roy well knew. And Roy had not treated Edward as he treated his other lovers either. He'd turned the affair into something sordid without really meaning to. No wonder the kid thought the older man was ashamed to be seen in his company. He'd had to suffer the indignity of sneaking around to be allowed time with him because Roy believed other people would find his choice of lovers inappropriate. In the name of image management he'd made the boy feel worthless, and Roy regretted that most of all. It was bad enough Edward had to walk around with the metal reminders of his mistakes attached to his body, was locked into a military contract when most people his age were planning what to wear to their high school graduation, and was isolated from his military peers by the uniqueness of his age and ability. On top of all that he shouldn't have had to put up with Roy's insecurities too.

But the kid _had_ put up with it, because he was confusing lust with love. And that was the root of the problem, Roy believed. It was an honest mistake for someone Ed's age to make. Both were intense emotional responses that would be difficult to distinguish in the absence of experience. In fact, even some of Roy's more experienced lovers fell into that trap occasionally. There had to be some way to help Edward see the difference. It was going to be difficult. The kid was stubborn as hell – probably wouldn't have survived if he weren't – but he was also very intelligent. Lay it out logically for him, and he was bound to see reason. Roy hoped it would cool some of the anger and hurt Edward felt, understanding that this was just a phase, and he could move on to something genuine and lasting when he was older.

The hitch was that Roy was out of his element here. His natural inclination was to use manipulation and misdirection to twist situations to his advantage, but that approach was all wrong in this case. He'd tried it yesterday because he'd been too proud to admit to the kid that he liked having him around, and Ed had responded by blowing him right out of the water. Roy had badly misinterpreted the situation and he wouldn't do that again. When he and Edward finally had their talk he had to be as above board as possible and present his case as clearly as he could, because he'd made the kid miserable enough and had to put it right. Roy needed advice. He picked up the phone.

"Hello?"

"Maes, I need your help."

"This is news?" Roy could hear his friend' smile as he settled down on his couch, Gracia's and Elicia's voices humming quietly in the background. "What's up?"

"Ed's on assignment with Fuery. When he gets back, we need to have a talk. He wants to break up with me, but I don't want him to leave. The main problem is that he thinks he's in love with me. I have to calm him down and convince him that he's not in love, get him to realize that he's just going through a crush, so he can put this whole thing into the proper perspective and get over all this misplaced hurt and anger."

"Why?"

Roy frowned. "What do you mean, 'why'?"

"Maybe it's better to just let him go." Maes said quietly.

Roy thought about this for a few moments. "If he still wants to go after we've spoken, then I can't stop him, but I have to at least try."

"You haven't answered my question. Why?"

"I don't understand. What do you mean?"

"Before I answer that, Edward mentioned something about 'knowing the rules'. Any idea what he meant by that?"

Roy felt himself blush. "Rule number one: no one can know about us. Rule number two: I will continue to take other lovers to keep up appearances. Rule number three: no commitment. I thought it would be best to keep this quiet so I wouldn't look like some damn pedophile."

"The age of consent is sixteen Roy. Ed's nearly eighteen, and he's been an emancipated minor since he was twelve."

"Exactly my point. There would have been speculation about when the relationship started, and I didn't want the negative impact on my reputation. I still have goals to reach, and promises to keep . . . "

"Then my question is, why bother keeping him around? He's an inconvenience. Better to just let him go. Better for both of you." Maes voice was gentle.

"I can't. He's hurting, Maes, and it's my fault. I don't want him to leave like this."

"That still doesn't answer my question. Why?"

The Brigadier General was rapidly losing patience with his friend. "And I still don't understand what the hell you're asking!"

"Okay, I'll spell it out for you as bluntly as possible." Maes sighed. "You were afraid of what other people would think about your relationship with your sixteen year old lover, so you played on his trust and used his feelings for you to convince him to keep it quiet. You openly took other lovers that are more socially acceptable to you, rubbing his nose in it by treating them with far more respect than you've ever shown him. Now he's finally realized that he doesn't deserve to be treated like an embarrassment and wants to leave, maybe find someone who will actually give a shit about him, but you don't want to let him go. Why? Is it just your pride talking here?"

"What the hell?" Roy snarled. "Is that how this looks to you? Do you really believe that I don't give a shit about him? You of all people should know that's crap! Why the hell do you think I'm always calling you for information when he goes on missions? He never checks in and I need to at least try to find out what he's up to in case he runs into trouble! Do you have any idea how often I steer him away from the particularly nasty assignments, and the heat I take for doing that? Would I even be calling you right now if I didn't give a shit?"

"Why so angry Roy? It's a legitimate question." Maes voice was still calm, soothing. "I can't see this from your perspective, because I've always preferred to be with one lover at a time, and of course since I met Gracia, I've never had the slightest inclination to even look at anyone else, so I really can't know what it's like for you. Can you explain how it's possible to really give a shit about one person in a continuous stream of anonymous warm bodies? For me, sex is a way to express love. What is it for you? Exercise? Stress relief? I've always wondered."

Roy was very glad Maes was out of ignition range. He would have hated to be responsible for his best friend's brutal murder. By sheer effort of will, he pushed the snarl out of his tone. "You're one of the lucky few that have what you want, Maes. The rest of us have to settle for what we can get. For me, it's sex. And right now, at his age, it's the same for Edward. But it won't be like this for him forever. He'll find someone to love for real one day." And suddenly there was a painful lump in his throat. Roy continued, voice rough. "I told him he couldn't expect a commitment from me, that all I could offer was a physical relationship. I'm really not capable of anything more, Maes."

"And yet you seem to have gone out of your way to offer him what you could, even though you thought it was dangerous for your career. Do you know he thinks that you only took up with him because you felt sorry for him?"

"Do you enjoy making me feel like dirt?"

"Did you ever give any of your other lovers a list of rules so that you could hide your relationship?"

"No, but he's not like my other lovers, you said so yourself. And although I admit it was all unintentional, the rules worked to both our advantage in a way. He's the only one I've ever welcomed into my home. None of my other lovers has ever had that privilege." Roy was suddenly pensive. "It wasn't even an inconvenience for me, though I thought it would be at first. You know how he is. Like a devastating force of nature. I thought he'd trample all over my personal space, but he didn't. In fact, I find it more comfortable with him in it. It's lonely now that he doesn't come over any more." Roy stopped, deep sadness surprising him.

"Go on Roy, explain it to me. I want to understand," Maes urged him gently.

"Do you know, I was even comfortable with him in my bed. The last thing I expected was to enjoy waking up in the morning to find him there, but I did." Roy was no longer sure whether he was explaining this to Maes, or thinking out loud. "It's just . . . easy to relax around him. I can let my guard down and be myself. He knows about the mistakes I've made and doesn't hold them against me. He accepts me for who I am. He. . . he just. . ." Roy voice faded, and his eyes widened in sudden understanding.

"The problem, Roy, is that you're been considering what Edward could or could not be feeling for you. After what he went through in the name of love for his brother, I think he may have a better grasp of the concept than a lot of people. What you should really be considering are your feelings for him."

"Oh shit. I'm in love with the little bastard, aren't I. That's the answer to your question." Odd details were suddenly dropping into place, a picture going from narrow focus to wide angle. The many excuses not to let Edward go. The blind rage at Raven's proposal. The panic he'd felt when Edward told him it was over. Right down to how quiet and empty his home felt right now . . .

He was such an idiot! How could he have fooled himself into thinking that what he felt for Ed was simply lust? Had he become so good at hiding his feelings from others that he'd actually begun to hide them from himself? It had been staring him in the face the whole time. He loved Edward. Every time he was with the kid, he felt a tenderness he never felt with anyone else. Not the usual, meaningless flirtation, not the carefully orchestrated courtship and seduction routine. Just comfortable companionship. He never felt so calmly contented in the company of anyone else. Then he thought of Edward feeling the same way about him, and saw the rules in a painfully bright new light.

What the hell was he going to do now? Roy felt like bashing his head against the coffee table. It was hard to concentrate while this new understanding restructured the world. He felt like he was drowning. Clamping down hard on the confused race of feeling, Roy forced himself to calm, taking a deep breath. He had to break it down and think it through.

There were a number of things to consider here. First off, his career. Did he really want to risk everything he had worked so hard for, and was so close to accomplishing, to pursue a relationship with a seventeen year old hell raiser with anger management issues? The reasons Roy had fought to rise through the ranks were no less valid now than when Bradley had been in power. In fact, nearly two years post Bradley, the country was still suffering from political, social, and economic instability. What Amestris needed was a leader with a clear vision of the future, a future of peaceful prosperity, and a plan of action to make it a reality. Roy had made a promise, to those both living and departed, that he would someday be that leader, and that was a promise he intended to keep.

Would having Edward in his life really pose a threat to his political aspirations though? Was his concern legitimate, or was it just his insecurities whispering dark nothings into his ear? When he got right down to it, he'd taken bigger chances with his career, as well as his life. Just keeping quiet about how Edward had lost his limbs and what was really inside Alphonse' armor had been a huge risk. At the very least, discovery would have earned him a court-martial. Hell, he'd stood toe to toe with the inhuman puppet purposely steering the country toward ruin, and he'd come out of that alive, with his rank and reputation intact as well. By comparison, the risk associated with discovery of his consensual relationship with a much younger subordinate was negligible. Exposure might earn him a paragraph or two in the gossip column of the Central Chronicle, and so what? Wasn't the chance at a meaningful relationship with someone who loved him worth that minor inconvenience? Ed wasn't going to be his subordinate for much longer either, which was also something to consider. Did he really have to make a choice between having Ed and realizing his political dreams?

Then there was Ed. The kid had been putting up with Roy's shit for a long time. He'd made up his mind that he was going to walk, and trying to change an Elric's made up mind was going to be very much like trying to teach a tiger to tango – complicated, frustrating, and likely painful. Was it perhaps too late for Roy to tell Ed that he loved him? After all the bullshit, would Ed even believed him?

"Still there Roy?" Maes' voice jerked Roy out of his thoughts.

"I don't know. Maes, I need your help."

While it might be for the best to let Edward break up with him, Roy was going to do his damndest to convince him otherwise. Roy wanted Edward to stay in his life, and now he knew exactly why he'd been fighting for this all along. Clearly they couldn't continue as they had been. He had to fix this, and things had to change. He'd thought he would never feel this way about anyone ever again, and wasn't about to waste this second chance. He was much too selfish to just let the young alchemist go.

Besides, he at least wanted to tell Edward that he wasn't ashamed of him. He was ashamed of himself.


	21. Chapter 21

Twenty One

"You little bastard. You killed me."

Ed jerked out of the dream into the pitch black of the mine, blinking. It was difficult to tell if his eyes were open or closed in the total absence of light. The tiny lamp must have run out of oil again. Elsewhere in the cavern he could hear the soft whimpering of some of the kids and the soothing voices of their mothers. It was uncomfortable sitting on the cold stone, propped up against the wall, and the wooden stock his hands were locked into was chafing his wrists.

It wasn't easy to judge the passage of time underground, so Edward wasn't sure how long he'd been down there. He guessed it was more than just a day or two, but not quite a week since he and Kain had arrived in Youswell. The pair had been met on the platform after the train had pulled out of the station by the site foreman, Halling, who Ed had met the first time he'd been in Youswell, three other familiar looking miners, and five soldiers in Amestris blue, one wearing a Colonel's gold stars. Before Ed or Kain could so much as offer a greeting, the soldiers drew their side arms and leveled them on Mustang's men.

'I'm sorry Ed," Halling had said. "They're holding our families hostage. We had no choice."

"Major. Sergeant. I am Colonel Brand, here under orders from General Barkley to ensure your cooperation." The guns never wavered from their targets.

"What's going on?" Kain couldn't quite keep the quaver out of his voice.

"Tell me, gentlemen, do you like Amestris under its new government?"

"Get to the point," Ed growled.

"Very well. Since King Bradley was assassinated, relations with Creta, Drachma, and Aerugo have become unstable. They sense weakness, but instead of responding forcefully, Parliament continues to rely on diplomacy and compromise. On top of that, the House continually reduces military funding and undermines our authority, and our current Furher allows it. Soon we won't have the means to defend ourselves, and then our neighbours will over run us. Our goal is to overthrow the current government, and reestablish military rule."

"So what's your business in Youswell?"

The Colonel ignored the question. "You have two choices. You can either join our cause, or become our prisoners. Major Elric?"

"You gotta be kidding me. Like I'd join a bunch of assholes that use civilians for cover." Ed glared at the man.

"As expected. Very well." The officer turned to Kain. "Sergeant Fuery. We require your expertise with our communication system. Our contacts in East Headquarters tell us you are extremely good at ensuring safe communication. You will be securing our network here. Then you will be moved to New Optain and reassigned to another garrison for the same purpose."

"I'm not helping you." Fuery said through clenched teeth.

"You will, unless you don't care if we put a bullet into Major Elric's head. We need you. We don't need him."

Kain had of course agreed to do what he was told in exchange for Ed's safety, and Ed had found himself penned up with Brand's other hostages in an abandoned mine about half a kilometer from the town. This particular cavern had been used as a safety refuge and for equipment storage before the mine was abandoned. The miners had installed some wooden benches and fit a stout wooden door into the cavern's only access to provide them with some small protection from gas and fire in the mine. Now it was being used to keep their families prisoner.

In the lock up, Edward had found himself surrounded by familiar faces. Halling's wife Rowan and their son Kayal, to name two. His fellow prisoners were quick to tell him everything they knew. According to the townspeople, the conspirators were also using other shafts of the mine to stockpile weapons, ammunition, and various supplies as they prepared for their coup. Youswell was perfect for their purposes, as it was isolated but was easily accessible by rail.

The rebels had known they were dealing with the Fullmetal Alchemist, and had locked Edwards's hands into a stock to keep him from putting them together to transmute. The first thing he had done when left alone with the women and children was to tear out the small piece of chalk Al had talked him into sewing into the lining of his jacket. Then he had drawn a general purpose array onto the wood and used it to leach out most of the cellulose, making it brittle enough to crumble with very little force. Now, when the need arose, he would be able to fight. And he knew it would come down to that sooner or later.

Edward's first priority was to get the women and children out of there. Ideally, he would have preferred to transmute an exit straight out through the rock, but that suggestion was quickly vetoed by the other prisoners. This mine had originally been abandoned because it was in very unstable strata. The miners had suffered many a cave in, and had finally decided to cut their losses at this site. Transmuting through the rock would be too dangerous as an escape route; either the cavern they were in or the transmuted tunnel out could collapse in the process. That left the existing mine shaft as their only exit, but that would be extremely dangerous as well. There was sure to be guards posted to contain the prisoners. If he had been alone, Ed would have just gone for it, but he wasn't sure how to go about it with a collection of sixteen women and kids along for the ride.

Getting the hostages out of the mine was only the beginning of what Edward knew he was going to have to do however. The lower reaches of the tunnel held stores of weapons and ammunition that the dissenters would use to wage their civil war. When they were ready to stage their coup, the first to fall would likely be the miners and their families. After that, they would engage the regular army and anyone else who stood in their way. The young alchemist knew that after the hostages were safe, he'd have to do something to keep the stockpile of arms out of the insurgents' hands. The easiest way would be to create a barrier in the main tunnel, but with the questionable stability of the mine, he ran the risk of bringing the whole thing down on top of himself, and anyone else in there, too. It was dangerous, but Edward couldn't see a way around it. Youswell wasn't all that far from Resembool and Granny Pinako. Or Lior and Rose. Or Dublith and Teacher. Or East City. Or even Central for that matter. It all came down to a choice: the lives of any soldiers stationed in the mine, who were doing this by choice, or the lives of everyone Ed cared about and countless other innocent people.

"Ed, someone's coming," Kayal had stationed himself near the door to listen for the sound of approaching soldiers so he could alert the other prisoners.

"It's too soon for mealtime," Ed whispered. Some of the women were escorted out at irregular intervals to get food for the other hostages, and it hadn't been very long since the last time that had happened. "Something must be up."

The prisoners shuffled closer together in the darkness as the door was unbarred and two soldiers came in, their lantern casting an eerie flicker into the prisoners' squinting faces.

"The Colonel said to get one of Halling's family," the taller of the pair reminded his comrade. "Let's take the boy."

"I don't like either option, but I dislike the idea of killing a kid more. Let's take the woman," said the other as he moved to grab Rowan by the arm.

Edward was already moving when Kayal cried out and jumped on the shorter man. The boy was clubbed to the ground by the other's rifle stock, but the distraction allowed the alchemist to break his weakened restraints and punch the taller soldier hard in the side of the head with his automail. The man dropped like a stone. His comrade jerked his rifle around too late. Ed grabbed the barrel and transmuted it into a useless mass of slag. Then the soldier suddenly found himself swarmed by the other prisoners. Using bare hands and booted feet, the women quickly rendered the second man unconscious. Edward carefully transmuted a small portion of the floor into a snug rock blanket to keep the two rebels pinned down.

"Looks like we just ran out of time," Rowan said, helping her son to his feet. "We have to get out of here now."

"We have one rifle and two pistols," one of the other women said.

"It'll be better if we can get out without using them," Ed pointed out. "We don't know how many other soldiers are down here. We start shooting, and they'll be all over us."

"Take the lamp, Kayal," Rowan instructed her son as she took the rifle for herself. "We need to get moving."

"I'm going ahead to see what we're up against," Ed transmuted his automail into the short blade he preferred.

"Okay, but we won't be far behind you."

The alchemist quickly but quietly made his way up the narrow passage towards the main shaft. He could see a dim glow ahead, and kept his flesh hand on the rock wall, stepping carefully on the uneven floor. As he neared the main shaft, he could hear voices, and slowed his pace. From the sound of it, there were two soldiers on sentry duty in the main shaft just beyond the end of the side tunnel. Well, he hadn't expected this to be easy.

Ed eased himself as close to the main passage as he could, but just as he was about to lunge around the corner, one of the sentries saved him the trouble. A large, dark haired man stepped into the side tunnel and seeing him, froze for a moment, giving Ed a chance to snap a kick to his midsection, doubling the sentry over with a whoosh of expelled air. An automail elbow to the back of his head quickly knocked the soldier out of action, and none too soon. His comrade skidded into the side tunnel, rifle raised. Ed clapped as he rushed the man, snagging the rifle barrel and transmuting the weapon into a random, useless mess, which the soldier promptly tried to bash into the alchemist's head. The blow landed jarringly on Edward's left shoulder as his opponent dodged back, barely avoiding the slashing arc of an automail blade. The sentry sprang at Edward again, using the useless rifle to knock Ed's automail aside, aiming a punch at the smaller man. Ed used the momentum of the punch to crash his enemy hard into the tunnel wall, following it up with a blow of his own to the bigger man's temple. The second sentry went down and lay still. Short and sweet. Izumi would have approved.

Ed calmed his breathing as he peeked out into the main tunnel. The absence of light from other lanterns told the alchemist that at least this stretch was empty. Somewhere to his left he could hear the murmur of voices far down the shaft, but they didn't seem agitated. He breathed a sigh of relief. The brief clash had not been heard, so the hostages' escape was as yet undetected. Quiet footfalls announced the approach of the other prisoners.

"How long do you think it will take you to get to the surface?" he asked Rowan quietly as she picked up the fallen soldiers' weapons and passed them to her friends.

"Probably about 10 minutes," she replied. "What are you going to do?"

"I want to stay back and make sure no one comes up behind you, and then I'm going to put up a wall in the tunnel down there." He pointed towards where he had heard the voices, then held up a hand to cut off the woman's protests. "You and your neighbours will have a better chance of coming out of this alive if these bastards don't have access to the arsenal they've got stashed down here. I'll give you as long as I can to get out before I start."

"This mine is so unstable it's more likely you'll bring the whole thing down on yourself instead." Rowan warned him.

"That's why I want to wait until you're out. I can do a transmutation through the floor, and send it up the walls fifty feet from here. That way, if it does come down, I'll hopefully be in the clear. Believe me, I don't want to get buried along with the guns."

The woman nodded, reluctantly turning towards the surface. "Fine. If you do bring down the roof, you'll want to get back into the refuge as quick as you can. It's not just the falling rock. There'll be dust, and lots of it, and that's just as dangerous."

The women crept quietly away, leaving Ed with the two unconscious soldiers and a small oil lamp. Mentally sifting through arrays for the one he wanted, the alchemist quickly pulled the two men down the side passage and transmuted them to the floor of the refuge with their comrades, then returned to the main tunnel. Keeping his eyes towards the deep blackness to his left, he waited, counting his breaths to keep track of time. His estimate was twenty-five breaths per minute, since he was under stress. Give them until four hundred if possible, just to be safe. The gunfire from above started when he reached three hundred eighty-four.

Edward pressed his hands together. The sound of approaching soldiers told him that the shooting on the surface had not gone unnoticed by the enemy below him. Fixing the chosen array in his mind, he took the cycling energy and poured it into the floor, altering its state. He let the matrix race away into the depths, pulling a thin layer of the floor along with it. At the farthest reach of his control, he gathered the material together like a cresting wave. Through the flowing minerals he felt his way up the sides of the tunnel, weaving a solid wall from floor to ceiling.

He was nearly done when he felt the shifting of a deep fault disrupt the pattern of the transmutation. Altering the energy flow to compensate did nothing, and he knew he was in trouble when he felt the tunnel roof buckle just as the edge of his barrier touched it. Desperately pulling more rock in for support only made it worse.

The tunnel collapsed with an ear shattering roar. The violent shaking of the ground knocked Edward off his feet and brought rock down from the ceiling and walls around him as well. The tremors went on, and suddenly Ed found himself engulfed in a thick cloud of dust. It snuffed out the lantern on the floor beside him, filled his eyes with grit, and clogged his lungs. Staggering to his feet, the young man hurried blindly down the side passage, crashing hard into the door of the refuge at its end. Pulling it open, he entered as quickly as he could, to limit the amount of dust that came in to the relatively clear room with him. With the closed door at his back, he doubled over in the pitch black of the refuge, seized by deep wracking coughs as his lungs sought to purge the dust. His eyes streamed tears, and he slid down the door to his knees, gasping for breath between coughing fits.

Suddenly he felt a sharp knock on the thick wooden door. Then he felt another. It took him a moment to realize that someone was shooting at the door – or at least, down the side tunnel. A quick clap and part of the floor flowed up to reinforce the wooden barricade.

Just as he began to get his breathing under control, Ed felt a different rumble through the floor. The vibration became audible, and the sound grew louder. It quickly built to a thundering roar, punctuated by a number of sharp explosions, and the alchemist heard the sound of falling rock inside the total darkness of the refuge. Before he could understand what was happening, something heavy struck his head.

Stars were the last thing he saw before he blanked out.


	22. Chapter 22

Twenty Two

Kain Fuery sat in a small, windowless back room of Youswell's Inn, fiddling with the internal workings of a wireless transceiver. The insurgents had set up their communication centre here, and the young Sergeant had been locked in with a guard for eighteen hours a day, sleeping on a small cot in a locked broom closet, ever since he'd arrived in the small mining town. The room contained little more than the wireless and the only remaining phone in Youswell. The timid young man had been stalling the task of setting up a secure channel for Colonel Brand for days, citing a lack of proper parts and equipment, but the officer was losing patience, and Kain was afraid of what Edward might suffer because of it.

Up until now, the Sergeant had not been treated too roughly, but he knew that wouldn't last. Whatever he ended up doing, he wasn't going to get out of this alive if the rebels had their way. They were completely unconcerned that Fuery overheard all communications that came in to the station, and he had amassed quite a bit of intelligence on officers in the upper ranks that were involved in the planned coup. Because of this, he knew that when he was finished doing what they wanted, he wouldn't be allowed to live. It was another reason he was stalling for time, brain working overtime to come up with some idea how to get himself and everyone else in this mess out alive.

Kain didn't have any illusions about his ability to successfully take on his captors singlehanded. Given access to a firearm, he was more likely to accidentally shoot himself than an intended target. He wasn't a very persuasive speaker, so he couldn't see himself talking his guard into letting him go. Setting them all on fire with a snap of his fingers was out of the question of course, as was transforming anything handy into a weapon. He also didn't have the means to kick the living shit out of these people, as desperately as he might wish to do so. In the realm of physical altercations, he'd be hard pressed to fight his way out of a wet paper bag. Calling for help was the only thing Kain could realistically think of that he was capable of doing.

Making any sort of call from the communications room he was locked in all day would be impossible however. They never left him alone in the daytime, ever. Someone even accompanied him right into the outhouse. If he could escape from the closet he slept in, he might be able to get to another town to make a call, but getting out of his makeshift cell wasn't the only problem. If he did manage to slip away, it would only be by pure luck if he made it to a phone. The young Sergeant was a city boy, born and bred, and would most likely end up hopelessly lost in the woods. He also realized that if he took off and managed to avoid being recaptured, the rebels would probably kill their hostages as soon as they discovered he was missing and get the ball rolling on their coup, assuming they were about to be exposed. Kain had finally decided to wait, stall for time, and hope an opportunity to screw up the rebel's plans presented itself. Still, it was hard to sit and do nothing when his brain was screaming at him to run, or hide, or howl at the moon.

When the military supply train had pulled into the station in the small hours of the morning, Kain had hoped it meant that the insurrection had been discovered. Unfortunately, it had been the rebel's allies arriving with more supplies to store in the mine. The soldiers had been busy unloading the boxcars and transferring the equipment through the dark to the other site for most of the night, and appeared to have the job nearly done.

Fuery was just about to tell the guard he was past due for some sleep when he heard voices raised in anger in the tavern area of the Inn. His guard went to the door to see what the commotion was, and acting on impulse, Kain quickly pulled two vacuum tubes out of the transmitter he was working on, switching them one for the other and disabling the set. Keeping one eye on his distracted guard, Kain then reached his foot under the table and wrapped the telephone wire around it. A quick jerk and the phone was disconnected. Go with your gut, Ed had said.

"They're just kids!" Halling's agonized voice carried in from the taproom. "Your men nearly killed them!"

"They were caught trying to escape over the ridge. Clearly they were heading for Brownsville to alert the authorities to our activities." Colonel Brand's voice was cool. "We are preparing for war here Halling. We can't afford to engage the regular army before we're ready. You were warned that crossing us would result in severe consequences. I believe an example must be made."

"What do you mean?" Hallings voice was heated. "Beating those two boys nearly to death wasn't enough fun for you?"

The Brant ignored the irate miner. "Collins!" he called to Fuery's guard. "Bring the Sergeant. We're going down to our supply depot."

The guard pulled Kain up with a firm grip on the young man's right arm, and roughly forced him from the room.

"I think you need a graphic example of what will happen to Major Elric if you continue to waste our time," the Colonel said as Kain was all but dragged out into the street.

A small procession made its way down a well worn path to the abandoned mine where the prisoners were being kept, along with the arms and supplies the insurgents were storing. Colonel Brant lead the way, followed by Halling, Kain, and Collins. The other miners were herded along by more soldiers armed with rifles. It didn't take long to reach their destination.

The abandoned mine was a short distance downhill from the town, a decaying old mine camp, complete with broken and rusted excavation equipment discarded around the entrance to the derelict tunnel. Once they arrived, Brant called two soldiers over, and after a short dialogue the pair entered the mine. The officer then turned back to the agitated assembly of townsmen.

"It appears that you haven't taken our threats seriously," he began. "I think, after this, you won't make that mistake again." The man's grin was cold.

"What are you going to do?" Halling's voice shook with a mixture of fear and anger.

"Just what we said we would do if you didn't behave," the Commander smirked. "Execute a hostage."

The townsmen shuffled anxiously under the watchful gaze of their guards, quietly exchanging words amongst themselves. No one would meet Halling's eyes. Kain could see the man's jaw clenched so tight the tendons stood out on his neck.

The soldiers kept their rifles on the tense group of miners. The minutes ticked by. The tension increased to an unbearable level as they waited. Kain edged his way closer to the Colonel, desperately trying to think of some way to prevent this, but the situation appeared hopeless. He was watching the mine entrance for the return of the two soldiers with their intended victim, so he didn't see when Halling flew at the soldier nearest to him, grabbing for his rifle. The soldier easily sidestepped his attacker and neatly clubbed him to the ground with the rifle stock, then placed the gun's barrel against the mine chief's chest.

Two shots rang out from inside the mine, and the man pinning Halling dropped to the ground unmoving. The soldiers in the clearing swung their weapons on the mine, but before they could open fire, the miners were on them. Severely outnumbered, the unexpected shooting from the mine was all the distraction needed for the miners to overpower their guards. Kain leaped on Colonel Brant, tangling him up and preventing him from reaching his side arm. The larger officer managed to grab the Sergeant by the front of his shirt and drove a fist into his stomach. The man pulled back his fist to strike again, but didn't get the chance. He was overpowered by a number of burley miners and forced to the ground.

It took Kain a moment to distinguish the rumble he felt in the ground from the tremble of his adrenaline charged body. Looking at the mine entrance, he saw the hostages, some armed with pistols and rifles, running quickly towards the men. Edward was not among them.

"The tunnel is collapsing!" one woman cried as the men rushed to meet their loved ones.

Halling staggered to his feet, helped by one of his neighbors. "Everyone away from the mine!" he ordered. "Drag those bastards along, boys! Don't let them get away!" the mine chief indicated the now disarmed enemy soldiers.

Black dust suddenly burst from the mouth of the tunnel, billowing into the mine camp, immediately coating everything it touched. Kain was grabbed and pulled forcefully along as the miners scrambled to keep out of the suffocating cloud, rushing to shepherd their families and the enemy captives away from the mine entrance as quickly as possible. A moderate crosswind blew the black cloud away from the fleeing townsfolk, downhill toward a small stream cut gully.

"Someone is shooting in there!" one miner bellowed in fear.

"Take cover!" Halling shouted, just as the tunnel mouth erupted.

The ebon cloud suddenly became a high energy storm of dust, smoke and flame. The fleeing group barely had time to dodge behind the abandoned mining equipment at the perimeter of the mine camp before it overtook them. Screams of pain and fear could barely be heard above the roar of the explosion. Kain stumbled over the rough terrain and fell to the ground, then made himself as flat as possible as the firestorm raged above him, blistering his back.

Just when the flames appeared to be subsiding, the ground rumbled with a new explosion. Then another, and Kain realized that the stock piled munitions deep in the mine were the most likely source. Many minutes passed before the blaze gradually wore itself out. Soon only a few nearby trees and abandoned mine supports continued to burn.

The young Sergeant tried to stand, only to discover that he had injured his ankle. He sat where he was as the shaken miners slowly took stock of their situation.

"Third shift!" Hallings voice was raised over the quiet mutter of confusion. "Take two of these rifles and make sure we have all the enemy soldiers in town under control. We need to get our injured to the Doc so he can check them over. If you see any soldiers on your way up there, shoot first and ask questions later."

Some of the men began to move away from the old mine camp.

"Second shift!" Halling shouted again, and pointed to the captured enemy soldiers. "Secure these sons of bitches. I don't care if you have to break their arms and legs to do it. Then half of you keep a close watch on 'em. If word about this gets out to their people, we're all in deep shit. The rest of you, take the guns and go look for the sentries stationed on the trails. Be damn careful."

The miners holding Colonel Brand and his men set about their task, happily using a lot more force than necessary.

"First shift!" Halling glanced at the mine entrance. "Get the fire and rescue equipment ready. Once the mine cools out we need to get down there."

"Don't think this is over!" Brand shouted to the mine chief. "The officer I left at the Inn is probably on the phone as we speak. Reinforcements will be on the way."

"I disabled both the phone and transmitter, Colonel," Kain called out, "so don't count on your reinforcements." The young Sergeant turned to Halling's wife as she approached. "What happened to Ed? Why didn't he come out with you?"

"He wanted to make sure these skunks couldn't get to their stockpile," Rowan squatted down beside the young man. "I guess he's done that alright." She patted Kain's shoulder. "Don't worry, I told him where to hide, so let's assume he made it until we know different. Now we just have to go in and get him out."

Halling approached Kain, his ankle now being attended to by Rowan. "Let's get you back to the Inn. We're going to have to figure out a safe way to contact your superior. I guess you can fix the phone and make sure a call is safe from this end, but at the other end . . ."

"All I need to secure is the line out. Where I'm calling the line is always secure." Kain grimaced as the big man helped him to stand, shifting his injured ankle.

"Where's that?"

"Just get me to the phone."


	23. Chapter 23

Twenty Three

It was a beautiful late summer day in East City. Sunshine streamed through the window, highlighting the stack of signed forms in the outbox. Sitting at his desk, Roy Mustang was actually doing his paper work for a change. He needed the distraction. All his soul searching and the resulting revelations he experienced after the phone conversation with Maes were on the backburner right now, replaced by more pressing concerns. In typical, infuriating Edward Elric fashion, the young alchemist had suddenly vanished clean off the map, taking Kain Fuery along with him. Focusing on paper work prevented the Flame Alchemist from constantly checking the time and staring at the phone, willing it to ring. Which it finally did.

"Brigadier General Mustang."

"Nothing new Roy, just checking in." Maes sounded as tense as Roy felt. "Most of my contacts in the area are based in New Optain, and everyone over there is just as confused as we are."

"Give me everything we know, one more time."

"Ed and Kain left the train at Youswell in the late afternoon on the twenty-fifth, we know that for sure. The conductor knows Ed by sight, and his description of the man with Ed matches Kain. He does not recall seeing anyone on the platform at the time. Our boys did not get a room at the Inn, did not check in with their contact, and no one in Youswell has seen them. The locals have searched the area and turned up nothing. New Optain's man on the scene, Colonel Brand, conducted a search as well, and also came up empty handed. He is currently handling the investigation on site."

"They couldn't have vanished into thin air Maes. Someone has to have seen them. Don't you think it's about time we got out there? I'd really like to talk to this Colonel Brand and find out just what . . ."

"Okay, I can tell you're getting all worked up again. We already talked about why it would be a bad idea for you to go off half cocked right now. This is Edward. He's not some damsel in distress that needs rescuing. Have a little faith."

"I agreed to waiting five days. We're on day four. Tomorrow New Optain's time is up, and I'm taking a squad out there whether the Brass likes it or not."

"I'm following up a few leads, but all I have so far are some wild rumors. Probably a goose chase, but I'm up for chasing any and all available poultry if it might yield results. I don't want to rule anything out until I've followed it up no matter how farfetched, and I'm not taking anything for granted. Just bear with me for a little longer, Roy."

"Tomorrow is as much longer as you have Maes."

"Alphonse Elric on line two, Sir," Breda called from the outer office.

"I have to let you go, Maes," Roy told his friend. "I have Alphonse on the other line again."

"Don't take it personally Roy. He's worried about his brother."

"I know. Let me know if you hear anything."

"You're the first call I'll make."

Hanging up the phone, Roy ran a hand through his hair. He had spoken to Alphonse a number of times since Ed had gone missing, and those conversations had not gone well. Four days since Edward and Kain had disappeared, with no idea what could have happened, and Alphonse was greatly displeased with what he perceived as Mustang's lack of action on the matter. Talking with the boy on the phone, it wasn't hard to imagine he was still talking to seven feet of armor, though that armored boy had never been as daunting as this flesh one. Where Edward's evolving maturity included somewhat better control of his temper, it seemed that Alphonse' included less timidity about offending others when he deemed the situation to warrant it. And apparently, this situation did.

He picked up the phone and jabbed his finger reluctantly for line two. "Alphonse. I was just on the phone with Colonel Hughes and . . ."

"I'm on my way to Central Station. I'll be in East City in two days."

"I see."

"When I get there, I will want to see everything you have, including the original case file and all current intelligence. Then I will be moving on to Youswell. Is that clear?"

"Quite," Mustang answered dryly.

"I'm tired of waiting for you to stop sitting on your hands instead of going to find them. If it was you, brother would have been out there searching the same day."

It had been Roy's first impulse as well, and if not for Maes strong admonition against assembling a team and leading the charge, Roy would have acted on it. Not hearing from Edward was normal, but he had instructed Kain to call in when they reached their destination, and it was unimaginable that the timid Sergeant would not. They should have reached the small mining town after two days of travel. When he hadn't heard from Kain by day three, Roy had called Youswell to discover the pair had not arrived.

"I realize that, Alphonse, however there are matters of protocol to follow before my office can take part in this investigation."

The main problem boiled down to regulations. While the team was part of Brigadier General Mustang's command, the assignment was officially under New Optain's authority. Unless there was evidence that New Optain's commander was failing to carry out a proper investigation, it had to be left to him. East Headquarters had requested permission to assist in the search. Their help had been refused.

Alphonse's tone was all contempt. "Just an excuse to keep doing nothing. Brother and Sergeant Fuery don't need your excuses. They need someone to get up off their ass and go find them. You are obviously not that someone. That leaves me."

"Do you think your brother would want you to put yourself in danger by running blindly into whatever it is that happened to him?"

"Don't you dare use my brother to try to manipulate me," Alphonse snapped. Roy couldn't recall ever being on hand when the younger Elric lost his temper, let alone be the cause.

"Please be patient for a little longer Alphonse. The investigation is not complete from New Optains' . . ."

Alphonse snorted his derision. "It's been almost a week, and what have you got? Two people get off a train in a small town and promptly disappear into thin air. Impossible. Someone is covering something up. And you are allowing them to get away with it."

"I understand how you feel, Alphonse, however . . ."

"Oh, I seriously doubt that. You'd actually have to have feelings to understand them." The young man's voice was cold.

Roy refused to be baited. "Alphonse. Please. You don't honestly intend to go out there on your own."

"It wouldn't be necessary if the military was doing whatever it took to find them. But they obviously don't give a damn about two lower ranked officers gone missing! And I guess since brother broke it off with you, you couldn't care less either!"

The older man clamped down hard on his anger. "That was uncalled for Alphonse," he said, jaw tight. "What happened between your brother and I is a personal matter. It has nothing to do with the situation at hand."

"Really?" was Alphonse' skeptical response. "My brother's done some stupid things, but falling for someone as cold and selfish as you has to be one of the stupidest. I spent four years haunting hollow armor, but I was never as empty as you. You want to run this country, and think that anything beyond a physical relationship would be a distraction, fine. If you want to burn up your days in meaningless affairs, telling yourself it's for the greater good, whatever, it's your loss. It was none of my business until you had to drag my brother into it. He's not an empty shell like you. You should have left him alone."

"Nobody drags Edward anywhere he doesn't want to go." Roy struggled to keep his temper under control. Lashing back at the young man wouldn't do either of them any good.

"You don't know how happy it made me when brother told me he was done with you."

"I haven't accepted that it's over yet."

"Oh, so you're going to make _that_ difficult for him too. Well, brother was right about one thing. You _are_ a bastard." The line went dead.

Roy replaced the handset and leaned back in his chair, closing his eyes. He had to call Maes back and tell him what Alphonse was up to. Hopefully the Colonel could talk the young alchemist out of getting on that train, but Roy doubted it. In two days Alphonse would be in East City. He hoped the youngster will have cooled off by the time he arrived, but that wasn't likely. The only thing that would sooth the younger Elric was his brother, safe and sound, and Roy would like nothing better than to provide just that. If Edward and Kain had not been located by then, Roy knew there was little he could do to dissuade Alphonse from going to Youswell. Yes, the boy was a formidable alchemist in his own right, but there was no way Mustang would allow him to make his trek to search for his brother alone, so Roy would have to put off heading out for Youswell himself until Alphonse arrived in East City. Then, if he couldn't get East Headquarters involved in the hunt by official means, the Brigadier General would have to get involved unofficially and join the boy himself, welcome or not.

Because Alphonse was right. The whole situation was bizarre. Youswell wasn't like East City or Central. In the bigger cities it was entirely possible for two people to leave a train and not be noticed by the station personnel. Youswell was a small, remote town however, and the infrequency of visitors guaranteed that they would immediately be noticed. Roy itched to get out there and personally interview the locals. Whatever was going on, they certainly knew something. New Optain's investigators had to realize this as well, and the Flame Alchemist wondered how their inquiry could be so empty of results.

Havoc poked his head in through the door. "Sir! Mrs. Emma Fuery is here and insists that she see you in private."

Kain's mother. Great, just what he needed. Another irate relative to point out his shortcomings. "Send her in, First Lieutenant."

Fifteen minutes after the small, grey haired woman stepped confidently into his office, the Brigadier General came striding out with a barbed wire grin.

"First Lieutenant. Call General Clayton's secretary. Tell him I need a private meeting immediately, and I'm on my way up. Then contact the East City Chronicle and report that a minor earthquake in the near vicinity of Youswell has caused damage to some of the mines in the area, with no reported casualties. Mention that local telephone lines are down as well. Then have someone reliable from the motorcade escort Mrs. Fuery home."

"Sir!"

"Second Lieutenant. Get down to the barracks and hand pick two squads. Then head to the infirmary and co-opt their two best field medics. Have three transport trucks provisioned and ready to go within the hour. Our official destination is Kleinsburg."

"Sir!"

"We are going to Youswell to fetch our lost dogs."


	24. Chapter 24

Twenty Four

Troop transport trucks weren't the most comfortable mode of transportation, but eighteen straight hours of travel over rough terrain saw Mustang and his team in Youswell in record time.

General Clayton had suggested the squads go in under Colonel Jeffries, but Roy had insisted on leading the retrieval of his missing subordinates himself, and the General, realizing it would be a losing battle, had not argued his position. With the information Kain had provided through his mother, the conspiracy was well on its way to being dismantled. General Raven been one of the conspirators named, and had been quietly taken into custody before Roy's little convoy had even left the compound. It hadn't occurred to Roy until they were well on their way to Youswell that by leading this mop-up operation, the Flame Alchemist would be out of the lime light when everything went public, but frankly, he couldn't have cared less.

The trucks slowed as they neared the town, and a few soldiers were assigned to picket around the transports, under orders not to shoot unless fired upon. With the possibility of enemy soldiers in the area, Mustang wanted to be prepared. He didn't want to leave his men totally unprotected should they come under fire by stray insurgents, but he didn't want his team to accidently gun down any understandably nervous locals either. The troops were soon confronted on the main road a short distance from the town proper by a pair of armed miners - and Kain Fuery. The relief on the young electronics wizard's face upon seeing Mustang and his men was obvious, his smile so wide it looked almost painful on a face pale with worry and exhaustion.

Using a crutch to gain his feet, the young Sergeant hobbled over to greet his commander as Mustang swung out of the lead truck's cab. Havoc and Breda were already shouting orders to their squads, and Mustang once again appreciated the cool competence of his subordinates.

"Sergeant Fuery. Glad to find you relatively healthy." Mustang returned the younger man's salute as Havoc and Breda joined him to greet their friend. "Mrs. Fuery delivered your message in good order. She requests that you contact her at your earliest convenience. What is the current situation?"

"Sir! We believe that we have apprehended all the remaining insurgents in and around the town, but it is difficult to be sure. Their commander is not cooperating, so we don't know the total number of enemy soldiers. We currently have eleven men in custody. The mine that they were using to store supplies suffered a major collapse followed by a coal dust explosion, and we have not yet finished rescue operations, so we're not sure how many of them may have been underground at the time."

"It appears that you have the situation under control. Well done Sergeant."

"Thank you, Sir. The miners and their families have been doing a very thorough job of keeping the town secure."

As Kain gave his report, the two sentry miners eyed Mustang and his men with undisguised mistrust. Mustang now turned his attention to them. "It seems that the rebel forces chose the wrong town to occupy. We have two field medics in our ranks. Consider them at your disposal. Where are your casualties?"

"The Inn." One man jerked a thumb over his shoulder, in the general direction of the town. "Could use some of your men down at the mine to help clear rock, too."

"I'll take them down there," Kain volunteered.

The Brigadier General turned his attention to his waiting subordinates. "Second Lieutenant Breda, take a detail into town to secure prisoners. Then set up patrols to sweep the bush for concealed enemies. First Lieutenant Havoc, assemble your squad and follow the Sergeant and I." The two men moved to carry out their orders. "Where is Major Elric, Sergeant?"

"He was in the mine when it collapsed, Sir," Kain said quietly. "We haven't found him yet."

Havoc swore under his breath, and Mustang's body suddenly started to function on automatic, his mind a swirl of negative images and worst case scenarios. Clamping down on cold dread, the Brigadier General forced himself to concentrate on the situation. This was no time to let his personal feelings interfere with his professionalism. It would be too easy to slip into an internal litany of things he should have said and done, self recriminations about time wasted, which would be of help to no one. He let fearfully concerned Roy Mustang fade into the background while the coolly capable Brigadier General took the lead.

The soldiers slowly made their way along an overgrown path down the hill, mindful of Kain's injury, and the young Sergeant brought them up to date. "The collapse was likely caused by Edward himself, from what the other hostages told us. He wanted to cut the rebels off from the weapons they had stockpiled down there. We're not sure what ignited the coal dust afterward, but we heard shots, and that could have done it. The miners tell me it doesn't take much to set the dust off, especially if there's methane mixed in with it. All you really need is a big enough spark."

The group broke through the trees into a dilapidated old mining camp around an arched opening into the side of the hill. Kain lead them to a cluster of soot-covered miners leaning over a table, fingers tracing a yellowed diagram as they spoke.

"Now that the pocket of afterdamp's taken care of, we're making good time. We've almost reached the crosscut that leads to the refuge where the prisoners were kept." The burley speaker tapped a finger on the map, then picked up a mug and drained it.

"Make sure your cases are sound before you go any deeper, Raleigh. We don't want to have to dig you out too. Picks and shovels boys. Head in." Halling turned from the men he was organizing as they made their way towards the mine. The whites of his eyes were stark against the blackness of the coal dust covering him from head to toe as he faced the approaching soldiers. "These are your reinforcements Kain?"

The Sergeant nodded. "This is my commanding officer."

"Brigadier General Roy Mustang." The officer offered his hand and it was firmly accepted. "How can we help?"

"Well, unless any of your soldiers have mine rescue experience, they'll have to team up with some of our boys. Right now we're mainly hauling rock out of the way, but we don't want any more coming down so we're being careful. On top of that, every section we open holds the possibility of armed soldiers and afterdamp, so it's slow going."

"Afterdamp?"

"That's what we call the toxic gases that accumulate in a mine after a fire. We've opened three sections so far, and each one was contaminated. Before we could go on we had to clear them," Halling explained.

"How is that done?" Roy asked.

"Alchemically." Halling's coal blackened face cracked a wry grin. "I'm not even close to State certified, but I can handle basic arrays."

"I think I could be of assistance there, if you'll explain what you need," Roy offered.

"I'd appreciate it," Halling said, rubbing a tired hand across his forehead.

The Brigadier General left Havoc to arrange his squad into townsman-lead teams as Halling pointed out the rescue operation's progress on a yellowed diagram. The map showed a main tunnel complicated by twisting cross cuts. Red chalk marks indicated tunnels still blocked, and the chart sported a depressing number of red outlines. A sudden commotion at the mine entrance interrupted the exchange, and one of the rescue workers that had previously left the table was back.

"We've broken through into the cross cut Halling!" he exclaimed. "There's afterdamp, and this time it looks like there are dead men in there."

"Come on then, Mustang," the mine boss said grimly, grabbing up a large, blocky piece of chalk from the table. "Let's go see what we can do."

"Just a moment, Sergeant Furey," Roy stopped the younger man when he started to follow, and signaled to two soldiers from Havoc's squad. Addressing them, he said, "Have Sergeant Furey show you the way to town. See to it that he gets off his feet and gets some rest. That's an order, Sergeant."

"But Sir!" Furey looked miserable. "I want to know if, if . . ."

"Easy, Sergeant," Mustang said quietly, "The going inside the mine is bound to be rougher than you can navigate on a crutch, and you don't want to injure yourself any further. You need to get off your feet and rest. We'll let you know as soon as we find him. Havoc, you're with me."

Halling lead the way as the group entered the mine and started down. The darkness seemed to eat the light shed by the lanterns they carried, reducing their range of visibility to a few scant feet.

"The side shaft we've just breached is where the women left Ed," Halling told the two military men as they made their way through the tunnel. "My wife told him to get back to the refuge if the tunnel collapsed so the dust wouldn't suffocate him. Hopefully he was able to do that before the dust was ignited."

Reaching the partially open cross shaft, Halling quickly drew a well practiced array on the wall nearest the opening, and touched his fingers to its edge. It glowed to life. Crackling fingers of energy played around the break in the tumbled barrier and forked into the chamber beyond.

"Afterdamp is mostly carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, and nitrogen. I'm using this array to split out the oxygen, but its slow going. Too much oxygen is also dangerous, so I have to give it time to diffuse out, otherwise, when we go in, our lanterns will go off like a Xingese fireworks display," he explained.

"I have experience controlling the concentration of oxygen," Roy said, activating the array on his gloves. "I can balance the content at twenty-one percent and channel the excess out along the top of the tunnel to keep it away from the lanterns."

Between the two alchemists, the toxic fumes were soon eliminated, and the men were able to widen the gap and enter the tunnel. Much of the shaft was littered with rock and timber from the failed roof supports. Havoc cursed when he stumbled over an obstacle which proved to be neither.

"I've got a body here," he called, a quick examination determining that the sprawled man was indeed dead, horribly burned and broken. What remained of his clothing identified him as one of the enemy soldiers.

The team made four more such discoveries until they were stopped by a heavily damaged doorway in their path. The badly charred wooden access was wrenched aside, revealing a solid stone slab which covered the entire opening.

"What the hell?" one miner exclaimed.

"Major Elric transmuted this. He's in there." Mustang felt elated and apprehensive all at once.

The rescue workers attacked the even sheet of rock with picks and sledgehammers, finally breaking a small opening. One man thrust an oil lamp through it. The flame dimmed, but didn't go out.

"Looks okay," Halling said. "Get us in there."

Minutes later the rescue team entered the chamber, lamps held high. Light spilled over the rubble strewn floor of the large hollow, revealing four struggling men pinned under stone restraints, and another slumped against a nearby wall, dust blackened braid over one shoulder.

Roy rapidly made his way towards his subordinate and knelt beside him, Havoc close behind.

"Fullmetal."

Red-rimmed golden eyes blinked owlishly in the lamplight. Unfocused, he stared up at Roy, face black with coal dust, a crooked smile on his lips.

"What took you so long?" he croaked, and closed his eyes.


	25. Chapter 25

Twenty Five

Roy hovered in the doorway of the makeshift infirmary, watching the medic shine his penlight into dazed, golden eyes. Edward watched both the Brigadier General and the doctor warily. Apparently Roy was once again in the same category Ed placed most of the medical profession: grudgingly tolerated with grave reservations. If nothing else, Roy regretted the loss of the boy's trust.

"What is the damage, Captain?" Mustang addressed the medic.

"Confusion, headache, blurred vision, uneven pupil dilation. No nausea, strangely enough. Still, definitely a concussion," came the answer. "Ideally I'd like to get his head x-rayed to check for possible fractures or hematoma, but that will have to wait until we get to a hospital. However his cognitive responses are encouraging, aside from moderate confusion, and he was injured nearly twenty-four hours ago. I think complications would have appeared by now if they were going to. He has to stay off his feet, and we'll have to keep an eye on him. He needs to rest, but he won't be allowed to sleep for more than an hour at a time, just to be safe. He is also dehydrated, so plenty of fluids. I'll stitch up the laceration in his scalp, and find him a cot."

"I'll assign someone to watch him," Roy said. "He has an aversion to following orders, doctor's or otherwise."

"Yes, I got that impression," the medic grimaced.

"I'm right here you know." Edward slurred, upset. "And concussions don't make you deaf. I'm kinda hungry though," he added thoughtfully.

Jean Havoc strode into the tent as the Captain began clipping Ed's hair around his scalp wound, tossing a greeting to Ed and a lazy salute to Roy. "We have a call from General Clayton on the secure line, Sir."

Roy left the tent, making his way to the Inn and the phone call he had been expecting. Entering the small back room, the Brigadier General was quickly handed the phone.

"What is your status Mustang?"

"General Clayton, Sir," Roy started. "The insurgents in Youswell are contained. The total number of enemy soldiers occupying the town was forty enlisted and three officers. We have arrested sixteen men, including the officers and two enlisted men stationed in the neighboring town of Brownsville. We believe that the majority of the rebel troops were in the mine when it was collapsed by Major Elric. They had just received an arms shipment and were storing it underground. So far we have recovered 12 bodies."

"Well done Mustang," the General returned. "I trust Major Elric and Sergeant Fuery are in good health?"

"Their injuries are not life threatening. I would like to get them to a medical facility for treatment, but under the circumstances, I don't want to leave them unprotected."

"Understandable. There is a good possibility that they would be targeted by traitors that are currently under the radar."

"Something I would like to avoid, Sir. Medically their conditions don't warrant taking the risk. I'd like to keep them isolated until the majority of the dissidents are apprehended."

"On that front, you'll be pleased to know that nearly all Senior Staff noted by Sergeant Fuery have been detained for questioning, and we are confident that we have the identities of all upper ranking conspirators. We have been able to determine that General Hakuro was the driving force behind this scheme, backed up by most of Bradley's old guard. Their stronghold appears to have been New Optain. Generals Barkley and Morrison are in custody, along with most of their senior staff. Hakuro is in the stockade in Central of course, and so is General Tyrol. West Headquarters reports they are in the process of subduing General Scott and some of his senior staff. Someone tipped them off. They took up arms and are making a stand at Scott's estate, but they are heavily outgunned and outnumbered. It's only a matter of time before we take them down, one way or the other. And you're already aware of General Raven's status here at East Headquarters. The only command that did not harbor insurgents was North Headquarters."

"I understand that General Armstrong runs an extremely tight ship, Sir," Roy wasn't surprised that the Northern base was clean.

"You have no idea," the General muttered. "We have also located the remaining supply caches the insurgents had concealed around the country. Aside from Youswell, one has been secured. The other six are still under siege, and both sides have taken casualties, but thanks to your quick thinking with that earthquake story, they didn't realize their plot had been uncovered until we closed in on them. We were able to surprise them, and of course we have the numerical advantage, so it's only a matter of time. The sheer quantity of arms they had stockpiled indicates that these people were ready and willing to wage a prolonged, bloody civil war if necessary. How they believed this to be for the good of the country is quite beyond me."

"I've noticed it's a common mindset among Furher Bradley's staunchest supporters, Sir. The common good often takes a back seat to their personal agenda."

"Hmm, yes. On a lighter note, I'm sure you realize that due to your command's role in exposing this coup, your promotion is in the bag, eh? There are, after all, quite a few vacancies in the upper ranks," the General chuckled. "The Major and Sergeant will also be up for advancement of course."

"I'll be sure to pass that along with your compliments, General," Roy returned.

"Ironic, isn't it, that the rebel cadre's drive to secure their communications network resulted in their exposure. Very poor planning to abduct your officers right on their own doorstep. They had to know it was only a matter of time before we found them out. Hard to say whether it was simple stupidity or pure arrogance."

"From a strategic standpoint, it was an epic blunder."

"Yes, well, let's face it. Hakuro never was the sharpest sword in the armory." General Clayton chuckled. "Carry on, Mustang, and keep me posted."

"Yes Sir."

Roy handed the phone back to the soldier manning communications. A satisfied smile quirked his lips as he left the Inn. In the blink of an eye his promotion was coming months ahead of schedule. General Clayton would likely grant his request for a transfer to Central in short order, and would probably be agreeable to Roy taking his closest officers along with him as well. It had been under two years since they had been transferred from the capital back to the East. Jean, Heymans, Kain, and Edward would feel like ping pong balls by the time this was all over.

His musings had carried the Brigadier General back to the grouping of tents that were serving as a field hospital. Both medics and the town's general practitioner had been kept busy with injuries that had resulted from the mine fire. The rescue operation was hazardous as well, and a number of townspeople and soldiers had suffered minor wounds in that undertaking. Poking his head into the main section of the infirmary, Roy noted that Edward was no longer there. Asking after his subordinate's whereabouts, he was directed to another tent.

Walking the short distance to the indicated tent, Roy noted the signs of a town emerging from a state of shock. The sound of music and light laughter drifted over from the Inn. The tavern had been doing steady business, but up until now it had been very subdued. With the clean up at the abandoned mine well under way, the townsfolk were beginning to relax. Mustang's squads were speeding the effort along, and it was obvious by the townspeople's more tolerant attitude that this small fraction of the military at least was appreciated. The soldiers weren't experienced with this type of operation, but Breda had chosen well. The men were quick to grasp the techniques required to get the job done, and did so under civilian direction without complaint.

Stepping into the tent, Mustang checked the six cots. Four were occupied: three by soldiers from his squads that had been injured while clearing sections of the abandoned mine, and one by his youngest officer. All four appeared to be asleep. Sitting in a chair by Fullmetal, Kain Fuery smiled and made to stand.

"At ease, Sergeant," the Brigadier General said quietly, returning the salute. "I thought you were ordered off your feet. As in lying down."

"Sorry, Sir," the younger man grimaced. "I can't seem to settle. I lie down for a few minutes, then get restless and have to get up."

"A common reaction to the kind of stress you have been under, Sergeant." Mustang pulled a chair up to sit with the younger man. "Were you able to call Mrs. Fuery?"

"Yes Sir. She was very happy to hear that everything is alright."

"You'll have more good news for her after you get back to East City, in the form of a new stripe to add to your uniform, compliments of General Clayton."

The young man beamed. "Thank you Sir!"

"You earned it, Sergeant. With results like this, maybe we should send you out in the field more often." Mustang grinned as his junior officer frowned.

"Honestly Sir? I'd just as soon stay closer to home." Fuery looked over at his sleeping colleague. "I don't know how Ed does stuff like this all the time; I certainly couldn't. I thought that if Colonel Brand and his men didn't kill me, the stress would."

Mustang glanced over at the blond alchemist. The hosing down the miners had given him after bringing him up from the mine had taken care of most of the grime, but he was still in serious need of a shower. Black dust streaked his collar bone, smudged the hollow of his throat, and stuck in the grooves of his automail. His bandage wrapped head was tilted to the side, to avoid putting pressure on his wound. A small frown furrowed his brow, lips downturned to a pout. He looked like a cranky toddler forced to take a much needed nap. Failing to resist the urge, Roy lightly brushed errant blond strands back from the young man's face.

"It's by no means an easy job, but he does it, and as much as he might hate it, he does it well," the Flame Alchemist said finally. "I don't think he'll miss it."

Kain looked up, surprised. "Oh, that's right. His contract is up soon." The Sergeant looked down at his colleague. "You think he's really going to quit Sir?"

"Yes."

Kain sighed. "First Major Hawkeye, now Ed. The office won't be the same without him."

Mustang said nothing.


	26. Chapter 26

Twenty Six

When the young medic woke him for the fourth time that night, Edward was hard pressed not to take a swing at him. Instead, he decided that as soon as the Captain left him alone again, he was going to go get a room at Halling's Inn on the sly. Rowan liked him. She'd take him in. Kain and the other three soldiers who had been resting in the makeshift infirmary were gone, probably to sleep somewhere more quiet, and Ed thought that was a great idea. He'd sat in the dark of the refuge for, well, he wasn't sure how long, but long enough that if he was going to drop dead from the head injury, he would have by now. The medic was being anal. As soon as the guy left, Ed was out of there. Besides, he had to pee, and he'd be damned if he was doing it into a bottle for no good reason.

Captain Asshole finally got tired of Edward's lethal glares and wished him good night with a parting smirk as he left the tent. About time. Ed gave him a very slow ten count and sat up, throwing his thin sheet aside. He swung his feet over to rest on the floor and took stock. Headache, but not as bad as it had been earlier, and he hardly felt dizzy at all. He listened to the night sounds outside the tent, not sure of the time, but it was quiet, so he assumed it was either very late or very early. His shirt and pants were folded neatly on a chair beside his cot with his boots resting on the floor underneath. Ed dressed and walked swiftly to the tent flap, nearly getting bulldozed by Mustang coming in, escape thwarted. Shit.

"Fullmetal!" the older man whispered. "What are you doing out of bed?"

"Need to pee, Mustang." Ed tried to dodge past his commander to no avail. "Get out of the way!" He pushed past and the man followed him out.

"You're in no condition to be wandering around on your own," Mustang said, taking Edward's arm.

The younger man jerked his arm away. "I'm fine," he snarled, heading around to the back of the Inn where the outhouse was.

Stepping inside the small wooden structure, he closed and bolted the door. Mustang was shuffling around out there from the sound of it, waiting for him. Edward got the job done and stalked out ready for a confrontation.

"What were you doing hanging around the infirmary anyway?" he asked, glowering at the older man.

"I couldn't sleep, so I decided to check up on you," Mustang admitted with a mild expression.

Edward narrowed his eyes. He hadn't been expecting a straightforward answer. "Well, I'm fine," he said, crossing his arms over his chest, making no move to return to the medical tent.

The Flame Alchemist just stood there, looking like he wanted to say something but wasn't sure how to go about it. Edward shifted uncomfortably. The best way to get rid of the older man was probably to go back to his cot and wait for Mustang to either speak his piece or get bored and leave. He started to retrace his steps, and sure enough, Mustang again followed. Once inside, Edward pulled off his boots and lay down on the cot, not bothering to remove his shirt or pants. The bastard would have to do his perving somewhere else. Mustang pulled a chair over and sat next to him. The pair sat in silence for a while until Edward couldn't take it anymore.

"You just going to sit there for the rest of the night?" he grumbled. "Go to bed already."

"I'd much rather go for a walk. It's a nice night."

"So, what's stopping you?"

"Come with me."

"Why would I want to go anywhere with you?"

The older man's lips quirked up slightly. "Because I said 'please'?" Edward snorted. "Please Edward."

The young man couldn't believe he was doing it, but after a few moments thought he sat up and put his boots on once again. Mustang smiled and stood, and the two alchemists stepped out of the tent. The night was warm, and a bright gibbous moon lit their course. Edward let his commander guide their steps, surprised to find himself relaxing, then mentally slapped himself. He wasn't some lovesick girl, and this wasn't some romantic moon lit walk. This was Mustang getting them somewhere suitably private so he could have his say.

Youswell was a main street with two dead end cross roads, one back alley leading to a few well used equipment sheds, and an old church yard. Soft music floated on the breeze, likely from the Inn at the opposite end of the main street from the train station. Predictably, Mustang turned them towards the station.

The silence as they walked was not uncomfortable, but Edward had to break it. "Did you get the mine cleared out yet?" he asked, because he couldn't blurt out what he really wanted to know.

"Not completely, no." Roy glanced at his companion, and answered his real question. "So far we have recovered nineteen bodies."

Edward mulled this over, hunching his shoulders and thrusting his hands deep into his pockets as he walked. Well, he'd known his actions might end up killing people. He'd even had legitimate reasons why it was necessary. It didn't change the fact that the soldiers he'd killed had mothers and fathers, sisters and brothers, maybe wives and husbands and kids, who were going to miss them. It didn't change the fact that they'd had legitimate reasons for doing what they thought was necessary as well. Edward had fucked up, and people had died.

"You do realize what those soldiers and weapons were for, don't you Edward?"

"I'm not stupid."

"Civil war." Mustang slowly shook his head, almost in disbelief. "They were planning to use those weapons on their own countryman. Amestris is still recovering from Bradley's regime. We are just beginning to gain some political and economic stability. Even with limited engagement, an internal military conflict would have torn the country apart, and left us vulnerable to attack from our neighbours to the north and west. All for the dreams of power held by a few selfish men." The Brigadier General's glance met Edward's eyes. "I know I can't make you feel any better about killing those soldiers. Yes, they were human beings. They were also the enemy, and they would have killed you, Kain, everyone in this town, and anyone else that stood in their way. Just realized, Edward, that it was us or them."

How he could always be so transparent to the older man he had no idea. Mustang spoke the absolute truth of the matter of course, and it was nothing that Ed hadn't already told himself, but still the guilt was there. Another sin to lock away inside with all the others. Another situation he had to make sure he was never forced into again. Another monster hiding under the bed he slept in.

The pair had reached the station. They rounded the small building and stepped onto the platform. A sentry at the far end of the raised area took note of the two alchemists, and recognizing them, continued his patrol. Walking to the closed and darkened ticket booth, Mustang took a seat on the bench beside it. The younger alchemist joined him.

"I have so much to say to you Edward, that I don't know where to start," Mustang said quietly.

"Yeah, well I have a few things to say to you, too," Ed said.

After Edward had woken up disoriented in the dark of the refuge, it had taken him a while to piece together where he was and how he'd gotten there before he could considered his options regarding escape. After rejecting some of the more impulsive ones, he had decided his best course of action, for the moment at least, was no action at all. He realised that those final, earth shaking rumbles must have been caused by a series of explosions, and given the amount of coal dust he'd encountered after the roof fell in along with the weapons and ammo stored below, the causes were pretty obvious. Any resulting fire meant breathing in the tunnels outside the refuge was a doubtful prospect. Transmuting through the available surfaces still presented the same hazard the other prisoners had warned him of previously, and getting caught in one cave in per lifetime was more than enough for Ed. The refuge was a fairly large cavern, and although the air would eventually get stale, there was likely enough to support five people for a couple of days at least, so he'd decided to sit tight until he was forced to risk taking action.

With that decision out of the way, the young man had nothing else to do but sit, listen to his rebel captives curse him in the dark, and think. And he had come to some not so startling conclusions about himself and the way he was handling life after getting Alphonse back.

He hadn't really changed much since he was a kid. The same impulsiveness that had lost him his leg and Al's body was still working against him. Taking up with Roy was a case in point. It had been a bad move from the start, any way he looked at it. True, he had loved the man, but that made Ed's selfishness even more shameful. Al and Winry were right about Roy being a mistake, but from the wrong perspective. Ed had to deal with the pain of unrequited love, and that was his own fault, but he could have hurt Mustang much worse. He could have cost Roy his future, and Amestris the strong, just leader it deserved. Now that it was over, Edward was glad that this time his foolishness hadn't caused harm to anyone but himself. He had to stop acting without thinking things through. He wasn't a little kid anymore. He knew better, now, how his actions could domino into consequences for others. He had to stop letting every unconsidered impulse rule his actions.

Edward had been drifting for a while now, letting things happen as they would, and that just wasn't him. Al was in Central, getting on with his life, working towards his happily ever after. He didn't need his big brother showing up in a few months, moping aimlessly about like a lost soul. He needed his big brother strong, confident, and getting on with his life, too. That way Al could focus on his own future without having to worry about his brother. Ed had to get his shit together. It was time to start setting things straight so he could move on, and he could start with Mustang. He sighed and gritted his teeth. The man wanted to talk. Well, Ed owed him that much at least. It was time to get this over with.

Mindful of the sentries making their rounds, he kept his voice low. "First, I want to say 'Sorry'. For getting mad at you. It's not your fault that I don't like the rules. And you were right; I agreed to them. I get why you didn't want people to know about us. You had to protect yourself. But it's already started to break down. I mean, everyone in the office figured out that something was going on between us. It's only a matter of time before other people do too, and that's the last thing you need. So it's best to call it quits now, before it's too late."

He glanced at his companion, who remained silent, so he continued. "I know you think it's a crush. Either way it doesn't really matter. It's my problem, not yours. I had no right to expect anything from you, when you told me up front that it was nothing but physical. And yeah, I enjoyed it. I was really happy for a while there. I just, just . . . got selfish. And greedy too I guess. Because I wanted more than I could have. But I'm over it. Now all I want is to put the whole thing behind me."

"Edward . . ."

"It's only a few months 'till my contract is up, and I can keep out of your face until then." Now that he'd started, he couldn't seem to stop. "I'm not in the office all that much anyway. I'll still be going out on assignments, and when I'm in town I'll need to wrap up my research, and clear the crap out of my dorm locker and stuff."

"Edward . . ."

"But if, you know, you feel uncomfortable having me around, I don't mind if you want to transfer me somewhere else. I don't even care where. It'll only be for a little while anyway, so . . ."

"I miss you, Edward."

Edward fell silent. Maybe concussions did cause some auditory disfunction. Just to be on the safe side, Ed listened to the sound of the crickets in the grass along the tracks. If he listened very carefully he noticed that he could hear the tiny pings and creaks of the rails, still contracting in the cool night air. He could even hear the sentry's careful footsteps somewhere around the opposite side of the ticket booth. So there was nothing wrong with his hearing.

But what Mustang had just said was the last thing Ed had expected to hear.


	27. Chapter 27

Twenty Seven

"You miss me."

The blond frowned down at his boots, and Roy wondered if he'd misjudged the younger man's mental state. He'd seemed his normal, ornery self a few minutes ago, but now he looked confused again. Biting back the urge to use this to his advantage, the older man answered.

"Yes. But if you don't feel up to it, we don't have to talk about this right now."

"I'm fine," Edward said automatically, still frowning. "Say what you need to say."

That was easier said than done. Talking with Maes the night Ed and Kain had left town may have forced Roy to realize his true feelings, but there were a few things about Roy that even Maes didn't know. Maes' advice had been simple: if Roy really wanted to keep Edward in his life, he had to come clean to his young lover, regardless of how vulnerable that left him, and hope it wasn't too late. Roy had agreed, but old habits die hard. Keeping himself to himself was what he did best, and what he had to do went against his nature. Coming clean involved admitting something that the older alchemist had never trusted to anyone else, Maes included. Edward watched him with a guarded expression, prepared for either a pat or a punch. 

Yes. This was a matter of trust. Roy took the plunge.

"When I left my apprenticeship with Riza's father, I took the entrance exam for Central Military Academy," he began. "Most alchemists don't. Getting certified as a State Alchemist is a shortcut to becoming an officer, but the competition is, as you know, extreme. I still planned to take the State Alchemist exam and believed I would pass, as I eventually did, but I wanted to climb the ranks, and didn't want to take shortcuts. I wanted to be the best." Roy glanced at his companion and quirked a small smile, receiving a guarded one in return. "I met Maes at the Academy. We hit it off right away, even though he was a couple of years ahead of me. Most of the other students were from more affluent families, and Maes and I were just a couple of country boys there on merit. It was only natural."

Roy felt the smile on his face, hidden there by the darkness, wondering at how the years had raced by. Had he ever really been that young?

"Maes was my hero back then," the General continued, fondness undisguised in his voice. "Still is, actually. He helped me stay sane through all the rules and regulations, social and otherwise, that made life miserable at the academy. He taught me the value of controlling my temper, and the satisfaction of unleashing it in productive ways. He showed me how to stay under the radar until it was of benefit not to. Our strengths and talents complimented each other. We made a very efficient team.

Of course it went without saying that they still were. Roy shot a glance at his companion. Edward's face was downturned, eyes on his boots, waiting for Roy to resume his tale. He did.

"Even back then, Maes was a shutter bug," the older man said with a wry smile. "He always had pictures to flash around, usually of his family or Gracia. She was the love of his life from the day he met her, sometime before he met me. He was always gushing about her and how they were going to get married as soon as he was out of the academy with a permanent post somewhere. He could go on endlessly about their plans, and what it would be like when they could finally be together. I knew Maes was very definitely taken. I fell in love with him anyway.

Roy kept his eyes firmly forward, but he saw Edward turn towards him, could feel Edward's gaze. The younger man made no comment, however, and after a moment Roy continued.

"I was just a little older than you are now when I realized that I wanted more than friendship from Maes. At first it was just a crush, and I expected to eventually get over it, but I didn't. As time went on and our friendship got stronger, my feelings for Maes only got deeper. I considered telling him how I felt, but knew it was a bad idea. He's the best friend I ever had, but he doesn't love me, not like _that_ anyway. If I'd told him how I felt, I risked losing that friendship. So I kept quiet and hid the true extent of my feelings. I was Best Man at his wedding, and honestly, I was happy to see his dream come true.

And that was the unequivocal truth. Maes had absolutely glowed with happiness on his wedding day, as had Gracia, and Roy had felt nothing but contentment to witness their pure, unadulterated bliss.

"As for me," Roy sighed. "Well. I wanted . . . someone who could make me happy like that, too. Someone who I could share my life with. I had many affairs, with men and women both, trying to find that special someone. Then, just after graduating from the Academy, with the ink on my State certification barely dry, I suddenly found myself in the midst of the Ishbalan conflict. My tour of duty on the front lines left me a changed man. The things I had seen and done should have destroyed me, but Maes was there for me as he always was, pulling me back from the edge, giving me a reason to go on. He was the only person I'd ever known who was always there when I needed him. He never let me down. I finally decided that I would never find another person I could love the way I loved Maes. In all my searching I had never found anyone who could come close to measuring up. I stopped searching.

Roy risked a glance toward his subordinate, but it was too dark to make out what his expression might be. Edward remained silent, gaze now locked to the ground, listening, so Roy forced himself to go on.

"I had been pushing my feelings down for so long it was actually quite easy to close down completely. I threw all of myself into my political aspirations, driven to be in a position to prevent a nightmare like Ishbal from ever happening again. I convinced myself that I didn't have the time or the inclination to find someone to share my life with; that was a luxury I could no longer afford. I had Maes' friendship, which is of immense value to me, and if that was as much as I could expect to have, that would do just fine. I discovered that I still needed the sexual aspects of a relationship however, and I concluded that even though I couldn't have love, I could still indulge myself physically. Of course I didn't want any misunderstandings, so I made a rule for myself: only take lovers that, like me, were interested in a strictly physical relationship and nothing more, because that was all I could realistically offer.

"You are the first person with whom I have ever broken that rule."

Roy glanced at his companion. He could just make out the younger man's frown, and Roy was just about to continue when Ed spoke.

"You still love him." Edward said.

"I always will," Roy nodded. "And I thought that I would never love anyone else. But I was wrong. I've been doing a lot of thinking over the past week, about the time you and I have spent together, and how much I miss you, and I can find no other explanation. I miss talking with you, and teasing you, and being pissed off by you, and just sitting quietly in your company. I miss you in my bed. I miss sleeping with you, and watching you sleep, and waking up with you there. I miss the way you look at me, and the sound of your voice, and the feel of you in my arms, and the way you taste. I could go on endlessly, because I miss everything about you, and the reason is obvious. I love you Edward.

"I've even realized that my love for Maes could never compare to what I feel for you. The feelings I have for Maes are bred from years of friendship, familiarity, and trust. The feelings I have for you also stem from these things, but are tempered to a fine edge by the intimacy we have shared, and tested now by the realization that I may have lost you. So I tell you this in all honesty Edward. I love you much more that I have ever loved Maes. I want you back."

The younger man stared blankly at the ground, and then looked up to meet Roy's eyes. "I want you to transfer me," he said, voice shaking.

The words hit him like a punch. Blinking the sting out of his eyes, Roy nodded, swallowing around the lump in his throat. "If that's what you really want. I don't want to cause you any more pain than I already have. But I had hoped . . . I don't know," he forced himself to go on. "That maybe we could start over."

The unhappiness in Edward's eyes mirrored Roy's own, and when the young man spoke, his voice was rough. "We both know that would be a bad idea. The last thing you need is people finding out about us, and it's only a matter of time if we keep this up. I don't want to be the reason why you can't have your dreams. You have to transfer me."

Roy cleared his dry throat. "You don't understand. I don't want to go back to the way things were. Hiding our relationship was a mistake from the start. If we were discovered, the fact that I hid it would do more to raise suspicions of my possible inappropriate behavior with a minor than the relationship itself. But worst of all, I made you think that you were an embarrassment to me, which I deeply regret. I was so busy worrying about how I would look that I didn't realize you thought I was ashamed of you."

Edward didn't look convinced. "You'd still look bad. I'm your subordinate. Something like this could seriously screw up your chances for promotion."

"Actually, you and Kain just handed me my next promotion. And yes, fraternizing is generally frowned on, but just as generally ignored. Take General Raven's . . . behavior . . . as a case in point. If the Brass can turn a blind eye to that, it's pretty obvious that they don't care who does what with whom. Ours is a consensual relationship, so there's no cause for concern.

"Believe me, Edward. There is no way that a relationship with you would hold me back from my ambitions." Ed regarded him skeptically, and Roy resisted the urge to take the young man's hands. "Even if we go our separate ways, I need you to know that I was never ashamed of you. I was ashamed of what people would think of me, taking a lover so much younger. I realize now that I was being foolish. A person would have to be blind not to understand the attraction. Anyone who knows you even casually could easily see that you are so much more than I deserve. I love you Edward. I'm hoping that you still love me, that it's not too late for us, but if it is, it's my own fault."

The darkness made it impossible for Roy to study the play of emotion on Edward's face as the young man thought this over, so there was no way to gauge his thoughts. Roy took a chance and edged closer, reaching to cover Ed's left hand lightly with his right, feeling a twinge of guilt when the young alchemist automatically glanced in both directions down the platform to check for the sentry. If Edward agreed to take another chance with him – and the older man was nowhere near to giving up - Roy was going to have his work cut out for him just breaking that habit.

Edward stretched his legs out and eased down on the bench until he could rest his head on top of the backrest, but didn't pull his hand from Roy's. Face tilted up, Ed closed his eyes and sighed. "This is . . . crazy. I can't wrap my head around it," he said. "I keep wondering if I'm still in the mine and this is some kind of hallucination brought on by sensory deprivation or something."

Roy squeezed the hand under his. "This is real. I should have waited to talk to you, but I am, as you know, a selfish bastard."

"I'm tired," Edward murmured. "I'm really tired, Roy."

"Let's go back to the med tent then," Roy said, pulling the younger man to his feet. "Come on."

"That asshole medic keeps waking me up," Edward complained as Roy steered him off the platform with an arm around the young man's shoulders.

"Just bear with it for a bit longer Edward."

Roy tugged his companion along until they had returned to the hospital tent. He maneuvered Edward inside and pushed him gently down on a cot. After the younger man kicked off his boots, Roy pulled the sheet up over him and then took a seat beside him. Edward lay there just looking at him for a while, then finally took a deep, relaxing breath and gave Roy a tired smile. Weak as it was, it was the first real smile Roy had seen in weeks, and it gave him hope.

"If this is a dream, it's probably the nicest one I've ever had," the blond said. Then his smile faded. "And if it's not a dream . . ."

Roy waited when the words trailed off, watching the young man's face for clues to what he was thinking. Edward looked conflicted, struggling with the choice between doing what he wanted to do, and doing what he thought was right. Roy hoped the balance swung to rest on the side where he sat so hopefully.

"I have to think about this," the young man finally said. "I'm through jumping into and out of things without considering the consequences. There's too much on the line here. For you especially, but for me too."

"Relax, Edward," the older man whispered. "You don't have to make up your mind tonight. I'm willing to wait for your answer for as long as it takes."

And Roy meant it. But never one to sit idly by, he also planned to do whatever it took to convince Edward that giving Roy another chance was that answer.


	28. Chapter 28

Twenty Eight

Edward woke up around noon the next day, judging from the shadows he could see outside of the tent flap, alone in the hospital tent. He could hear the sound of people going about their business, and realized his estimation of the time was probably correct when he smelled something cooking.

Something rich and savory.

Suddenly he was ravenous. He was just about to whip off his sheet. roll out of the cot, and go searching for food when Rowan ducked into the tent with a covered tray.

"Ah! You're awake then," she said. "Just in time for lunch."

Ed grinned hugely, eyes fixed on the tray. "You are a dream come true," he breathed as the fragrant aroma of the food assailed his nostrils.

The woman dragged over a chair and set the tray down on it. "Your boss told me to make sure you came to get lunch for yourself, but he's not _my_ boss," Rowan said with a smirk. "So I thought I'd trot this over here just for you."

"Thanks!" Ed sat up and swung his legs over the side of the bed, reaching for the tray. Removing the draped cloth, he found heaven: a steaming bowl of soup choked full of tender beef, barley and vegetables, two thick slices of sourdough bread, toasted and topped with melted cheese, a piece of apple pie fresh from the oven, and a tall glass of cold apple juice. "All I had yesterday was a bowl of broth so weak I couldn't tell what kind it was supposed to be. I'm starving!"

The young man dove into the food as Rowan settled into another chair, watching fondly. Edward forced himself to slow his pace, but still ended up virtually inhaling his lunch. In no time he had finished everything, barely restraining himself from licking the soup bowl. He smiled at the twinkle in Rowan's eyes. She knew exactly what he'd been tempted to do.

"That was great," Ed told her. "Thanks again."

"My pleasure," she returned. "That's what fellow former prisoners are for."

"Did everyone make it out okay? I heard shooting."

"That was me. We were careful when we got near the tunnel mouth because we expected more soldiers outside, and we moved up as close as we could to see out without being seen ourselves. That Colonel Brand was out there with a bunch of his soldiers, pointing guns at our men. We were trying to come up with a plan when I saw Halling jump one of them, and I just reacted when he got knocked down."

"You shot someone?"

"He was pointing a gun at my husband. Yes, I shot someone." Rowan reached over to pat Edward's hand. "I would have shot a lot of someones to protect my family. I didn't have to, though, because of what you did."

"I screwed up. The mine caved in just like you warned me."

"I'm glad you made it out alright."

"I'm glad you and your neighbours did too. And I'm really glad it's over." Ed leaned over to look under his cot, locating his boots.

"We were pretty surprised to hear that you came to town without your brother," Rowan said as the alchemist pulled on his boots. "Aren't you two working together anymore?"

"No, Al's staying in Central with a friend of ours now. When my contract with the military is up in a few months, I'm going to join him there."

"You must be lonely traveling without him. How's Alphonse doing?"

"He's doing great! He's going to the University in Central." Ed glowed with pride. "He's almost got his PhD, and he's going after his medical degree next. I need to call and let him know I'm okay," the young man realized, frowning. His head must have really been screwed up yesterday not to have thought of that until now.

"You can come along to the Inn with me, then. Your friend Kain is there, messing with that wireless contraption," Rowan said, getting to her feet and reaching for the tray of now empty dishes.

The older woman left the tent, Edward trotting after her, and the pair headed for the Inn. Ed pushed open one of the batwing door and held it for Rowan as she entered with the tray. Dim light filtered into the bar through windows grimed with dust. A few townsfolk and soldiers occupied the room, talking quietly as they lunched. Rowan made her way behind the bar and headed towards the propped open door to the kitchen.

"Which way to the phone?" Ed asked before she could move out of sight.

The woman cocked her thumb towards a closed door at the far end of the bar, and Edward made his way through the tightly spaced tables toward it. It opened as he reached for the knob, and once again he was nearly steamrolled by his commanding officer.

"Edward. How nice to see you upright. Have you eaten?" The bastard looked genuinely glad to see him, eyes soft and happy. He had never looked at Edward like that in public before.

Ed blushed, and was immediately furious with himself. "Hey Mustang. Yeah, I had lunch. I need to call Al and Winry."

"Ah. I had Sergeant Fuery call Ms. Rockbell yesterday. Your brother is actually on his way here. He left East City about three hours ago."

"Oh. Okay." Ed shoved his hands in his pockets and glanced around the taproom. "So, is the mine operation finished, or should I go down there?"

"You're not going down there," Mustang stated in his end-of-discussion tone of voice. "You're having lunch with me."

"I just told you I already had lunch."

"Oh, come now, Fullmetal. Surely you have room for a bit more dessert?"

Against his better judgment, Edward soon found himself seated at a small table, watching the Brigadier General tuck in to a lunch very similar to the one he had just finished, a second piece of pie he didn't really want in front of him. He wondered why he felt so distinctly uncomfortable. If Mustang started flirting with him he was going to kick the bastard's ass. The older man soon finished his soup, and leaned back with a cup of tea, eyeing his companion's unusually slow progress with the pie. Edward braced for a continuation of the previous night's conversation, but it didn't come.

"I should mention that General Clayton has recommended you for a promotion." Mustang said, and smirked at Edward's eye roll.

"Tell him to shove it. You know a promotion will put me behind a desk somewhere. I'd rather stick needles in my eyes."

"It would only be until your contract runs out. Then you'll resign with a substantially larger severance and benefits package than you are currently entitled to."

"And if I stay in the army I'll eventually get so bored that I snap and level whatever building I am stuck behind a desk in."

Mustang looked at him like he'd grown a second head. "If you stay in the army?"

"I really don't want to talk about this right now. I want to eat my pie in peace." Ed acted as if the pastry in front of him held vastly more appeal than it in fact did.

"Since when has staying in the military become one of the options you've been considering?" Mustang wasn't put off by Edward's noncommittal shrug. "You've been looking forward to getting out since the day you got in."

"Eating," Ed mumbled, taking a large forkful.

"While the Brass would like nothing better than to keep you in the ranks, do you really think it would be in your best interests?"

"I don't think they'd be too upset if I left. Colonel Hughes said I should expect to get pressured to renew my contract, but that hasn't happened."

"That's because I have been putting them off," the older man said, taking a sip of his tea.

"You've been . . . what?" The young alchemist sputtered, fork halfway to his mouth.

"Putting them off. For quite some time."

"Why?"

"Did you really want the high pressure sales pitch to stay in the military? To say that you hate this job with a passion would be a huge understatement."

"Colonel Hughes suggested that maybe I should renew my contract, but push for a different assignment."

"Let me guess. Intelligence." Roy snickered at Ed's nod. "Maes is almost as obsessive about his job as he is about his family."

"Major Hawkeye suggested the military as an option too," Ed said defensively, fork still poised halfway to his chin. "She pointed out that the money's better than an entry level contract in the private sector, and Al's tuition isn't peanuts."

"If anyone ever offers you an entry level contract, be sure to laugh in their face just before you tell them to shove it up their ass," Roy said, smirking. He leaned back and slung an arm over the back of his chair. "And why Alphonse is even paying tuition is beyond me. Tell him to casually mention to one of his professors that he's thinking of switching to McMaster University for his MD. He'll have a full scholarship so fast it will make his head spin. Honestly, Edward. For geniuses, you Elrics certainly have great difficulty seeing the obvious."

"Which is?" Edward asked, testily.

"You and Alphonse are two of the most talented alchemists alive today. And you're just getting started. People would kill to have you attached to their agenda. Right now the military is using you at bargain basement prices, and would like that trend to continue. I have convinced them that using high pressure tactics on someone with your volatile disposition would likely result not only in your leaving the military, but cutting all ties with us as well. The last thing the Brass wants is for the People's Alchemist to appear to lose faith in them. "

"Like I ever had any in the first place," the young alchemist muttered quietly.

Mustang frowned slightly. "You weren't seriously thinking about renewing your contract, were you Edward?"

"Yes. No. Maybe. I don't know. I don't really have any idea what the hell I'm going to do anymore." Edward dropped his fork, never really interested in finishing his pie. "I can do anything I want, but I don't know what I want to do. It's a crazy feeling." Ed smiled wryly. "Maybe I'll travel for a while. I've heard some interesting shit about Xingese alchemy , but there aren't a lot of reference materials available. I might head east and see for myself. Al's doing really well in Central with Winry. The Hughes are keeping an eye on both of them. The last thing Al needs is his big brother hanging around, getting in the way."

"Alphonse wouldn't see it that way. I have no doubt that he and Winry can hardly wait for you to get out of the military and settle down with them in Central."

"Yeah, and I guess I could do that for a little while. But it's the same problem I'd have doing a desk job. After a while, I'd be so bored I'd go completely insane." Ed frowned. "And no cracks, Mustang," he added as the older man's smirk widened. "I feel like I'm missing something important. When I try to think about doing what I want to do, I draw a blank. Does it all really boil down to that simple choice? Who's dog I want to be: the military's, or someone else's?"

"Why do you have to be anyone's dog? Work for yourself. You have so many options. Alchemical contractor. Freelance consultant. You could take on projects you actually want to do, public and private, and charge what your time is really worth. You'll have a line up outside your door the minute you hang out a shingle, whatever you decide to do. It likely wouldn't be long before you had to take on an apprentice to keep up with the jobs, and you'd have people lining up for that position as well. Let's face it Edward. You've always been a lousy subordinate, questioning every order, refusing to follow the ones you don't agree with, headstrong, argumentative, disrespectful. I think you'd be much happier with no boss at all."

And that was one of the reasons why Ed loved the bastard, really. And why it was going to be so hard for the younger man to stick to his resolve and reject Mustang's pitch for reconciliation. Yes, he could bullshit like there was no tomorrow, but he also had a marvelous talent for sweeping it aside. With a few simple words the older man had opened the door on a brand new range of very attractive options.

The older man misjudged his subordinate's considering gaze. "Relax. There's no rush to make the big decisions right now. You really just need to sit down and talk it out with someone you trust."

Edward looked at the older man thoughtfully. "I guess I just did."


	29. Chapter 29

Twenty Nine

Four straight days of train travel, with only a brief stop in East City, was extremely hard on the ass, Maes Hughes was discovering. He made a mental note to add more comfortable train seats to Roy's list of eventual campaign promises. Given the amount of rail travel the people of Amestris did, he could probably pull off a landslide victory in any election based on that alone. Glancing at the youth seated opposite him, Maes noted that Alphonse was either unaffected by the hardness of the bench, or too preoccupied to notice it. The boy had been brooding since they had left East City. Maes had expected relief and high spirits after Edward's well being had been confirmed, as had initially been the case, but that had soon faded away leaving Alphonse in this serious mood. Maes wondered what was going on in the young man's head.

Roy's quick phone call informing him that Alphonse was ready to jump on a train east had sent Maes scrambling for Central Station to tell the young alchemist that Kain had contacted Headquarters from Youswell. When the boy had been resolute about going east anyway, Maes' only alternative was to accompany the youngster himself. There was no way he'd have let the eleven year old head out on his own, genius alchemist or not. As it was, he'd barely managed to convince Alphonse to take a later train so the older man could let his wife know what was up. Maes left it to his lovely Gracia to take care of informing the military of his whereabouts, and trusted that she would come up with a suitable cover story if necessary. He hadn't married her just for her amazing good looks after all. They made a very efficient team.

Getting more details about the preempted coup during their brief stop in East City and confirmation that both Edward and Kain were safe and sound still hadn't stopped Alphonse from wanting to continue on to Youswell. They were already half way there after all, and Al claimed that he wanted to see for himself that Edward was alright. Not that the Colonel had tried to discourage him. The older man had every intention of continuing east himself. He wanted to question the rebels personally, amazed that he hadn't heard even a hint about their activities right up until their exposure. He also wanted to get first hand details about the situation from Mustang, amusingly enough. Usually the information flowed the other way.

"You're awfully quiet, Al," Maes said, unable to curb his curiosity about the boy's pensive mood any longer. "Is something wrong?"

Al shook his head, eyes still watching the passing countryside. "I was just thinking about equivalent exchange, and how I haven't been paying the toll."

"How so?"

The boy shrugged. "I don't know. It's just . . . something that's been bothering me for a while."

"It might help to talk about it. Get it off your chest. I have a feeling this is something you can't talk about with your brother."

"Your right. I can't. He doesn't _understand_."

Al glanced up at his companion and sighed.

"I let Brother and Teacher use the Stone to get my natural body back. I argued with them, but they convinced me that a dual purpose transmutation was too risky, given that the Stone was also my soul's container. As a result, I was returned to my body, but Brother is still stuck with the automail," Al's eyes turned back to the world passing by the window. "After all we both went through, that wasn't equivalent."

"I think Edward would disagree," Maes said softly.

Alphonse continued as if the other had not spoken. "I have a normal life now. I'm doing what I want to do. Granted that part of what I want to do is find a way to get brother his arm and leg back, but I'm getting to do things that I enjoy. It's my choice. I get to live with Winry, and go to school, and have friends. Brother is stuck in his military contract, doing a job he hates. I have nightmares that a war will break out and he'll be sent to the front. Or that he'll get killed while out on an assignment."

Maes wondered how he could reassure the boy when the concerns he voiced were his and Gracia's as well. If Alphonse thought he and Winry were the only ones worried about his older brother, he was very much mistaken. Was it an Elric trait to be blind to the lives they had touched, to be unable to see how other people cared about their wellbeing? The Colonel clasped his hands in his lap, and wished there was something he could say to lessen Alphonse' disquiet.

"Ed's contract with the military has just about run out," he said, because it was what they all looked forward to. "That means he'll be his own man soon too. "

"He's all alone, Mr. Hughes," Alphonse finally looked at him, hazel eyes solemn. "I have Winry, and you, and Mrs. Hughes and Elicia. People who care about me, who are right there whenever I need them. I have people at the University that I can talk to about my research, or just hang around with. Friends. Brother is stuck way out in East City, far away from everyone who cares about him."

"There are people who care about your brother in East City, too." Maes reminded his young companion. "Havoc, Breda, and Fuery for example. And Roy. He has friends. He's not as alone as you may think, Alphonse."

"Would we be sitting on this train right now if that were true?" The youngster shook his head. "I think not. Who's looking out for him? He goes out on assignments for weeks at a time. All by himself. No one's there for him if he needs help. And that's my fault more than anyone else's." Al paused and turned shamed eyes on Maes. "We used to be a team, " he said, deep regret in his tone.

"Edward goes out on assignments alone because that's his preference. Roy tried to send him out with other field operatives a few times, but the people he was teamed up with had a tendency to patronize him because of his age, and you know he has no patience for that kind of treatment." The older man pushed his glasses up along his nose, holding back a sigh. "He doesn't have your talent for giving people the benefit of the doubt, allowing time to teach them that your age has nothing to do with your ability."

"I feel guilty. That's the problem," Al said, finally getting to the root of his dilemma. "I'm where I am today because of what he sacrificed. And he's still sacrificing. When I heard that he'd gone missing, the thing that surprised me the most was that I wasn't surprised. I realized that I've been expecting something like this to happen ever since I started living with Winry and left him on his own. I was selfish to let him convince me to stay in Central while he worked out the rest of his contract, but the truth is I was tired. I wanted to stop, and I let myself believe Ed would be better off not having to worry about me."

"You and your brother went to a lot of trouble to see to it that you got your life back, and I think Edward would take it as a personal insult if you didn't take full advantage of it," Maes leaned in to lock eyes with his young companion. "He loves you, and he's so proud of you. If anything happened to you, it would literally kill him. It is for the best that he knows you're safe. You were virtually invincible in the armour, but now . . . On assignments he'd be so intent on protecting you that he could very well end up injured himself."

"Yes, that was his argument. So he ends up doing this all on his own."

"Not exactly. Just because he doesn't ask for help doesn't mean it's not there for him." Maes leaned back, shifting on the uncomfortable seat. "It's only for a little while longer Alphonse. He'll be finished roaming the country and safely back in Central where you and Winry can keep an eye on him in no time."

"I don't think it will ever be that simple. I know my brother, and he knows how I feel about Winry. No matter how often we tell him our home is his home too, he thinks he's in our way somehow. He'll go off on his own eventually. I don't want him to be lonely."

"He won't be, Alphonse," the Colonel said gently. "You and Winry aren't the only ones who care about him."

"I know you're including yourself and Mrs. Hughes when you say that, but I get the feeling that you're counting Roy Mustang in as well. Please don't," Al glared at his older companion, who raised an eyebrow. "If he really cared about brother, he'd let him go so he could find someone to have a real relationship with."

Maes met Alphonse angry glare with a slow smile. "I happen to think that your brother and my friend could have a very good relationship, given half a chance."

Al snorted with disgust. "Your friend wouldn't know a good relationship if it jumped up and bit him on the ass. He's sleeping around with who knows how many other people, just burning up his days with meaningless flirtations. Ed wants to get away from him and find someone to care about who isn't ashamed of him, but Mustang doesn't want to let him go. He told me as much on the phone."

"Doesn't that suggest something Alphonse?" Maes smile never faltered.

"It 'suggests' that your friend was using my brother's feelings to keep him in line," the youngster snapped. "He's been taking advantage of him, and now that brother's coming to his senses, Mustang doesn't want to lose control of him."

"I don't see it that way," Maes said thoughtfully. "While I admit that Roy tends to be a bit manipulative, he's never consciously done anything to hurt your brother. You have to admit that he always did what he could to help you and Edward in your search for the Stone, even though he was putting himself at risk to do it. He kept your secrets and protected you as best he could under the circumstances. Roy is your friend too, just as much as I am."

Maes continued over another incredulous snort from Alphonse. "Granted that up until now Roy's had a pretty messed up view of personal relationships. I have my suspicions as to why, but I really don't want them confirmed. That's changing though, thanks to Ed. Roy's been closed off emotionally for a very long time. What he's needed all along was someone strong enough to break through his defenses and make it worth the effort to change. Someone to love him even when he's being selfish, but tough enough to not let him get away with it. The closer Roy gets to reaching his goals, the more he's going to need somebody close to remind him of all the reasons why he has those goals in the first place. I think Ed's that someone."

Maes knew it was with great effort that Alphonse kept his tone civil when he replied. "I'm sorry, but Ed's put up with enough. My brother deserves better than to be used when it's convenient and discarded when it's not."

"I'm not suggesting that he doesn't. I am suggesting that Roy and Edward can have what they both deserve. With each other. They just need to work it out."

"I can see how your friend would benefit from being close to my brother, but I don't believe that the reverse is true," Alphonse retorted, crossing his arms.

"I do. Edward needs someone strong too. Someone who can love him for himself, regardless of his past. Someone who can help him accept his mistakes and move on, because I don't believe he has yet. Someone who can make him feel good about himself. His drive just shut down once you were safe. He's drifting along with no clear idea of what he wants to do, as if he didn't expect to survive the experience, and still isn't sure that he has. He needs someone he can trust to help him find the direction he wants his life to take. I think Roy is that someone."

"I don't agree. Mustang doesn't love my brother. He even flat out told Ed that he never would. I realize you want what's best for your friend, but I want what's best for Ed. Mustang has used Edward enough. He should just let him move on." Alphonse' tone was adamant.

"You're wrong about Roy's feelings. He does love Edward. It just took him a while to realize it."

"Well it's too late," the young alchemist's glare was back. "Any feelings Ed may have had for your friend have likely been smothered underneath all the crap he's had to put up with."

"I think you're wrong about that too."

Alphonse hazel eyes narrowed. "Wrong or not, Ed's better off away from Mustang. When they started their relationship I didn't think it was a good idea, but I really didn't think it would last very long so I didn't make an effort to talk Ed out of it. It didn't fizzle out like I expected but brother seemed really happy for a while, so I just let it be. Then when it started to go bad, it was far too late for me to object. I'm not making that mistake this time. Mustang is no good for Ed, and when brother talks to me about this, that's what I'll tell him."

Maes frowned, taking in the set of Alphonse' jaw, the challenge in his eyes, arms crossed defensively. Classic Elric intractability. New tactic. "You and Winry are pretty close, aren't you Alphonse?"

The youngster frowned, wary at the odd turn in the conversation. "Yes. When my body grows up, I'm going to ask her to marry me, and I'm pretty sure she'll say yes."

"How would you feel if Edward told you he thought it would be best if you and Winry weren't together?"

"Don't be ridiculous!" Al barked, causing other passengers in the car to scowl in his direction. The young man lowered his voice. "My relationship with Winry is nothing like what is going on between Ed and Mustang. She would never treat me the way Mustang treats my brother. Winry's been our friend since forever! Ed knows how I feel about her. He'd never try to break us up. There's no reason for him to."

"Just for the sake of argument, suppose he had some objection. How would it make you feel to know that the person you loved was not acceptable to your brother?"

"I understand the point you're trying to make, but this is a lousy example."

"Humor me Alphonse. Hypothetically speaking, knowing he thought it was for your own good, how would you feel if he tried to influence your decision to stay with Winry?"

"Edward would never do that," the boy insisted. "He's always telling me to do what makes me happy, and being with Winry makes me happy."

"That's sound advice. Don't you think Edward deserves to decide for himself what would make him happy?" Maes leaned in again, playing his trump card. "You were just telling me how you wished Ed was free to make his own choices. Are you going to rob him of one of the few decisions he's free to make right now? I have always believed that Roy and Ed would be good for each other. Think about it Alphonse. Each of their strengths is a foil for the other's weakness. Roy often loses himself in his games and needs someone to ground him and keep him honest. Ed is always putting himself last and needs someone to show him how to be a bit more selfish and give himself a break. I believe that they would bring out the best in each other. But it's up to them to decide. We have to give them a chance to figure this out for themselves."

Alphonse glowered, teeth grinding in frustration. "This is absurd."

"I'm not asking you to do anything beyond letting them work this out, without interference."

The young alchemist mulled this over, clearly not pleased with the prospect of passively watching the train wreck that he believed Edward's continued relationship with Mustang would be. Maes kept quiet, letting the boy work it out.

"Alright." Alphonse finally spoke. "I don't like it, but alright. I won't interfere."

"That's all I ask," Maes said, smiling.


	30. Chapter 30

Thirty

When the train pulled into Youswell Station, Edward was waiting on the platform grinning from ear to ear. Alphonse was off the train well before it had come to a full stop, rushing to pull his brother into a bone crushing hug which Edward was only too happy to return. Maes Hughes sauntered up and put his and Alphonse' suitcases down. Hands in his pockets, he rocked back on his heels, waiting for the Elric hugfest to end. It took a while.

"I'm so happy you're okay brother!" Al managed finally to break free, eyes sparkling suspiciously. "We were so worried!"

"I'm fine Al," Ed grinned. "I'm always fine. Hey, Colonel Hughes. Thanks for looking out for my little brother."

"My pleasure Edward," the Colonel found the young men's grins highly contagious. "I needed a break from the office anyway."

Ed collected up the suitcases and the trio walked off the platform, headed for the grouping of military tents at the opposite end of the main street. The late afternoon sun made their shadows very long.

"Mustang should be in the command tent if you want to check in with him, Colonel," Ed said as they walked.

"I want to head over to the Inn and phone Gracia first," the Colonel returned. "Do you want me to have her call Winry, Alphonse? Or do you want to do that yourself?"

"I'll do it Mr. Hughes," Alphonse said. "She'll want to talk to brother, too."

"I talked to her yesterday," Ed groused. "She had me catalogue every new scratch and dent on the automail, and threatened to kick my ass for not looking after it. I really don't need a replay of that."

The Inn was quiet at that time of day. The miners were either working the mine, or home with their families, depending on their shift, and the soldiers were wrapping up their operation in Youswell. Everyone was looking forward to things getting back to normal.

Ed led the way to the communications room at the back of the bar, where they found Kain Fuery, Heymans Breda, and Roy Mustang. Alphonse exchanged warm greetings with Fuery and Breda, a curt hello with Mustang, then hurried to the phone to make his call. Colonel Hughes stood by, waiting patiently for his turn, all five bystanders pointedly not listening to Al's side of the phone conversation. They exchanged pleasantries with the newly arrived Colonel, inquiring after the trip out from Central while they waited.

Alphonse impatiently drummed his fingers on the desk as he waited for his call to weave through the maze of phone lines, making its way to Central. The clicks and buzzes finally gave way to the sound of Rockbell Automail's line ringing. It only had a chance to do so once.

"Al?" Winry's breathless voice was music to his ears.

"That's not a very professional greeting, Winry," he admonished her.

"Are you in Youswell? Was the trip out okay? Have you seen Ed? Is he really fine like he says? Is the automail in one piece?" the young mechanic rushed out in one breath.

"Yes, yes, yes, yes, and yes," Al couldn't have kept the smile off his face if he tried. "I'll put him on in a minute."

"He called me yesterday," the scowl was very evident in the girl's voice. "Got all grumpy when I asked him about the automail. I really don't need a replay of that."

"Oh, that's okay Win, I just wanted to let you know we got here and everything is fine. I was kind of hoping you could have a little talk with him though," Al said, voice low. "On the trip out, Mr. Hughes mentioned that Ed might be getting back together with Mustang. But don't worry, I'll handle it. And I'll tell brother you said 'hi'. " The younger Elric was having second thoughts about staying neutral regarding Edward's love life, and reasoned that his own noninterference didn't technically include Winry.

"What!" the young man had to pull the phone away from his ear at her outraged cry. "That idiot! Is he a glutton for punishment of something? Hasn't that creep given him enough grief? I changed my mind! Hand that damn fool brother of yours the phone right now!"

"Winry wants to talk to you brother," Al called out, and passed the handset over to his reluctant older sibling with a grin.

"Hey Win," Ed said as Alphonse prudently moved out of reach. "I can't talk long. Colonel Hughes wants to call Mrs. Hughes, so . . ." The half smile on Edward's face dropped into a grimace as he cringed, and after a moment he shot a glare of pure venom at his little brother who stood looking on, all innocence.

Al strolled over to the other men and inquired after their health and wellbeing as he waited for Edward to be off the phone. He didn't have long to wait. Edward was acting as if the handset was dynamite and his ear was a flame. The elder Elric finally ended the call and settled his narrowed eyes on his conniving little brother.

Ed passed the phone to an eager Colonel Hughes, and before too long everyone had to leave the communications office. When the Colonel was missing his girls, the incessant gushing could quickly rise to an unbearable level. The two Elrics slipped out of the Inn at Edward's urging, and the pair wandered down to the far end of the main street, finding a private place to sit on the edge of the boardwalk.

"So, Winry's got this weird idea that I'm not breaking up with Mustang," Edward said brightly with a big, shit eating grin and a deadly sparkle in his eyes. "I would certainly like to know who put that bug up her ass. Got any ideas about that Al?"

"That was the impression I got from Colonel Hughes, brother, and I knew Winry would be interested. You didn't want me to hide that from her, did you?" Al asked innocently.

"Well he got it wrong, and so did you," Ed said with a scowl. "There's nothing to hide. Don't do stuff like that, Al. Win's already pissed off at me often enough for shit I actually do. She doesn't need any more reasons to crawl up my ass."

"So it's not true then?" Al asked hopefully. "Mustang is not trying to talk you out of leaving? Or he is, but you're not buying it?" Edward looked uncomfortable, and Alphonse felt his hopes evaporate. "Brother?"

"He said he loves me, Al," Ed said very quietly. "He said he wants to start over, but this time for real."

"And you said no?"

"I didn't say anything yet."

"Why not? You aren't seriously considering this are you?"

"I don't know. Maybe. It's just . . . not easy to say no when I want to say yes." Ed took in his brother's concerned expression. "Don't worry Al. I know I can't really have this. I'm going to tell him I'm not interested tonight, after lights out."

The younger boy was flailing on the inside. "Okay, just to clarify, you should say no because you don't believe him, but you want to say yes because . . . ?"

"I should say no because it would be bad for his career, but I want to say yes because . . . I believe him, and . . . and . . ."

"You still love him," Al finished, resignedly. Shit, he knew it. Alphonse couldn't stand it any longer. Screw this noninterference crap! Al snapped. "Ed you idiot! This is what you hoped for the whole time you were with him! You don't mean to tell me that you plan to just drop it when this might be your chance to have it all!"

Edward started at his brother's unexpected outburst, but quickly recovered. "I've fucked up too many people's lives as it is! I'm not fucking up anybody else's!"

"Don't be stupid! That was his old excuse, and from the sound of it, even he doesn't believe it anymore! How can you fuck up his life?"

"I'm his subordinate! I'm a lot younger than him! He wants to take over the fucking world, and he can't do it if he comes off looking like a pervert!"

"He _is _a pervert! So what? Everybody already knows it! He's done more screwing around than any ten normal people!" Edward's jaw dropped and he made a strangled sort of noise, but Alphonse was on a rant, and wouldn't be deterred. "He still gets promoted! He's still on the A list for every social and political function you could name, and plenty you couldn't! People are going to cry when you take him off the market, brother!" Alphonse scrubbed his hands over his face and groaned. "I can't believe I'm encouraging this." And he really couldn't. But he just couldn't bear to see his brother resigned to doing without something else he wanted. It wasn't fair, damn it!

Edward just stared, mouth gaping.

"You are your own worst enemy, brother," Alphonse said as he reeled his older sibling in for a one armed hug around the shoulders, butting their heads together. "You're always putting yourself last. Fuck the moral high ground. I think it's about time you did something that makes _you_ happy for a change." And if Mustang screwed this up, he was deader than dog shit.

". . . Fuck the moral high ground?" Ed finally managed to choke out. "What the hell are they teaching you at that University Al? Who would have guessed those fucking eggheads could have such a colorful impact on your vocabulary?"

Alphonse slapped his brother across the back of his head, earning an irritated growl. "Come on, brother. Let's go back to the Inn. I'm hungry, and my ass hurts."

~0~

After getting off the phone with his lovely wife and perfect daughter, Maes went in search of his friend. Roy had been in the communications room at the start of the call, but he'd left, along with everyone else, during the call. Maes knew he sometimes went overboard talking to his girls, but so what? He'd like to see anyone else try and maintain a cool façade while exposed to the unrelenting cuteness of his daughter. Pictures didn't lie, and he had plenty on him to prove it.

Mustang hadn't gone far. He was waiting in the taproom, grinning. Maes walked up and clapped a hand on his friend's shoulder. "So, details Roy. Details. What the hell happened, and how come I didn't hear about it before hand?"

"I was wondering the same thing. I thought you had your nose in everybody's business."

Maes grimaced. "Disturbing mental picture there, Roy. I guess this is one pile of 'business' that managed to slip under the radar. Tell me what you know. I want to interview Kain, Ed, the townspeople, and your prisoners. Hell, I'll even question the local wildlife if it helps me figure out how we missed something this big."

The Brigadier General acquainted his friend with everything he knew, punctuated with everything he also suspected, while the pair walked casually through Youswell. They spotted Edward and Alphonse sitting on the boardwalk near the train station, deep in conversation, but Roy turned aside before the two young men could catch sight of them. Maes was amused.

"Have you had a chance to talk to him?" Maes said quietly.

"Yes, as a matter of fact," Roy said.

Maes waited. And waited. "And?" he finally prompted.

"Why did you suggest that he renew his contract?"

Maes' eyebrows shot up to his hairline at his friend's irritated tone. "It's a viable option for him, particularly if he gets out of Investigations."

"It's not. He's not cut out for a career in the military, even in peaceful times," Roy said, clearly annoyed. "When an assignment takes a bad turn, he beats himself up about things that he has no control over, particularly if someone gets hurt, and even if that someone is the enemy. Take what happened here. As an experienced field operative, he must have realized that his best course of action would be to leave the mine with the other prisoners and collapse it from the outside, eliminating the potential threat of both weapons and enemy soldiers at once. Instead he put himself in danger in a futile effort to avoid taking lives. Can you imagine him as a human weapon on the battlefield? If he survived the war, he wouldn't survive the aftermath." The Brigadier General turned a no nonsense gaze on the Colonel. "Do him the favor of not suggesting it again."

"True, he doesn't have the killer instinct, which is why Investigations is not his ideal placement," Maes said, defending his position. "I still think he'd be great in Intelligence though, and I think he'd like the work. As my subordinate I could keep him out of trouble. My assignment to that division is what kept me away from the front during the Rebellion, if you'll remember."

"You aren't a State Alchemist."

"Alright. Point taken. I won't mention it again," Maes conceded.

"Thank you."

"And since the two of you seem to be on speaking terms now, I take it you have confessed your feelings, and he has decided to give you another chance?"

"I'm working on it," Roy gritted his teeth. "I did too good a job convincing him that we should keep it quiet for the good of my career, and it's come back to bite me in the nuts."

"Payback's a bitch, huh?" Maes smirked.

"You don't have to enjoy my distress quite so much." The Flame cast a disgruntled sideward glance at his companion.

"I've been waiting a long time for this. Do me the small courtesy of indulging my enjoyment of every angst filled moment." Maes took in his friend's unease. "Don't worry Roy. Just keep talking to him. You can convince him. Believe me, he wants to be convinced."

Roy ran a hand through his hair, a gesture that Maes recognized as an indication of his friend's apprehension. "My main concern right now is Alphonse," Roy said quietly. "He has never approved of our relationship, and he is bound to advise Edward against this."

"Actually, on the way here I persuaded Alphonse not to interfere."

Roy's brows rose in surprise. "Really? That's a relief. How did you manage to pull that off?"

"It was the combined effect of my superior skills as a negotiator and my natural charm, with a subtle hint of emotional blackmail thrown in for good measure."

"Good man. I'm proud of you," Roy murmured.

Maes strolled along side his old friend, thinking about the conversation he'd had with Alphonse on the train. He hoped the youngster could hold up his end of the bargain and refrain from trying to sabotage Roy's campaign against Edward's reticence. All the younger Elric had to do was stay neutral. If Al raised no objection to Ed's relationship with Roy, it would go a long way towards their getting back together. And if the opposite were true, it would be very difficult for Roy to convince Ed otherwise.

Edward might be a military dog, but Alphonse' happiness had always been Ed's real master.

~0~

It was late that evening when Roy went in to the command tent to check on the duty schedule and put some time in on paperwork. His team was leaving Youswell early the next morning, much to everyone's relief, and the Brigadier General wanted to make sure the case file was complete and well organized. This operation was earning him his promotion after all, and he wanted it wrapped up as neatly as possible. He was surprised to discover Edward sitting in the tent alone.

"Fullmetal? Where is your brother? You didn't have an argument, did you?" And I wasn't the cause of it, was I?

"We're not three years old," Ed said testily. "And we're not joined at the hip. Al's sleeping. It's a rough trip, Central to Youswell nonstop."

Mustang nodded, and then decided to continue to go about his business. He got the feeling that Ed wanted to talk, but he would let the younger man do it at this own pace.

"Al and I did have a talk earlier," Ed finally said, eyes fixed on the toes of his boots. "I told him what you said, you know, about . . . starting over, and . . ."

"That I love you? I'll say it as many times as it takes to convince you Edward."

"You don't have to convince me. I believe you. Do you want to know what Al said?"

"To be honest, I'm afraid to ask."

"He called me an idiot. Said I was my own worst enemy."

"For believing me?"

"For not just going for this, like I really want to."

Roy waited, daring to hope.

"I'm . . . scared I guess," Edward said, finally meeting Roy's eyes. "I meant what I said before, about not wanting to be the reason you can't reach your goals. I'm scared I'll fuck up your life, because, you know, I'm the king of fucking things up."

Roy quirked a wry grin. "With all due respect, your Highness, I have a fair amount of expertise in that department myself. Just look at what my rules have accomplished. I'm prepared to learn from my mistakes however. If it makes this more acceptable to you, keep in mind that you won't be my subordinate for much longer. If you want to be discrete about us while you are, that's fine. I don't mind either way. I just want you back."

Edward frowned. "You don't have to apologize for the rules. You had good reasons for making them. I'm kind of nervous now because I'm still not sure I can have this." Amber eyes searched onyx. "You've had so many lovers. You can have anyone you want. I wonder if you might get bored after a while, and then I'd be right back where all this started, in line waiting for my turn to be close to you. That's not good enough for me anymore."

Roy's heart raced. This was it. No games. He had to lay everything on the line. "I've had many physical relationships, yes. But will you believe me when I tell you that you are actually the first lover that I have ever had? With everyone else I was perfecting the mechanics of sex. With you, I was making love. I realized that when I realized how much I missed you. All the people I have been with over the years, and that has never happened before. They were there for a while, and then they weren't, and I have never missed the presence of a single one, because they were only physical presences. We gave nothing of ourselves. But it's different with you. You gave me everything of yourself. It's a level of intimacy that I have never known before, and have come to crave. No one else has ever come close to inspiring the intensity of feeling you inspire in me. How could I possibly get bored?

Edward kept his silence, thinking this over, and Roy decided to voice a concern of his own. "I've considered how this could work the other way as well. You have only ever had one lover. I've wonder if, at some point, you might become bored too, or perhaps curious about what it would be like with someone else. It's a risk, but one I'm willing to take, because I know I can trust you. Let me prove that you can trust me too."

"I want to trust you," Ed said, eyes still searching Roy's face. "But I'm serious Roy. I want you, but not if it means being taken for granted. I love you, but I still have my pride. I've rolled with the punches for long enough, and I won't anymore. It would be painful for me to walk away from you now, but it would hurt me a lot more not to, if you're just playing some new game. "

Edward had never been one to keep his emotional state from his face. Roy read his feelings there now as always. Sincerity, of course. Determination, as always. And hope, overall. The young man was facing this with the same strength he depended on to face all the trials in his life, unflinchingly.

Roy kept his gaze steady, and offered a small smile. "Considering the way I have treated you, I realize that this must seem like a risky proposition, and all my reassurances are really just so much smoke. The only way I can prove myself to you will be if you decided to give me this second chance. I think what we could have together would be well worth the risk. I love you. I don't want to be without you. You took a chance with me once, when I offered next to nothing. This time I'm offering everything."

Ed frowned. "I feel strange, hearing you say these things that I always hoped to hear, but never thought I would. I want to accept what you are offering. I want to see where this could go."

"So do I Edward. You have no idea how much. Please give us a chance."

"Alright." The teen said, eyes flashing golden fire. "Maybe I'm being selfish, but I really want this. Want _you_. Let's find out if we can be good together."

Roy' heart leaped, and he crossed the space between them to fold the boy into his arms, familiar strong arms encircling him in return. Edward lay his head against Roy's shoulder, looked up, and the older man lost himself in clear amber eclipsed by widening pupils. "He loves me, too," he thought, marveling at the idea. Roy lifted one hand to cup Edward's cheek, tilting his lover's face gently up, brushing his lips lightly against the other's, asking permission. Hot breath through parted lips granted it, and Roy's tongue dipped in to taste. Edward responded in kind, as the two melded together in each other's arms. They reluctantly ended the kiss before it could become more heated, mindful of the public setting they were in, but did not pull away from their embrace.

"I promise you won't regret this," Roy leaned in to whisper, and grinned at Edward's shiver and relieved sigh.

Roy knew it probably wasn't going to be easy, but this was their new start, and this time he wasn't going to screw up. In his arrogance he'd been close to foolishly throwing away what he had always wanted and thought he would never have, simply because he hadn't recognized what it was. After Maes he'd given up, never expecting to find someone to love like that again, and he hadn't. This time it was better. This time he wouldn't have to hide his feelings from the one he loved. This time he would be loved the same way in return. Roy was damned lucky and he knew it, so he was going to do whatever it took to make sure Edward knew it too.

~0~

Jean Havoc stepped out of the tent he shared with Heymans Breda and lit up a smoke. He cast his eyes along the main street, wondering where his bunk mate had disappeared to. The portly redhead had gone to the mess tent in search of a midnight snack, but that had been nearly an hour ago, and he should have long since returned. The tall blond finally spotted his colleague up the road, standing about twenty five feet in front of the command tent, hands in pockets, looking smug. Curiosity urged Jean to join him.

As he neared his friend, Breda motioned for him to be quiet, waving him in close.

"What's up?" Jean asked quietly.

"Ed and Mustang," Heymans whispered with a smirk, bobbing his head toward the command tent. "Sounds like they're settling their differences. It appears our esteemed commander has finally got his head out of his ass."

"Really?" The Blond smiled and took a long drag on his cigarette. "About time. Damn. Guess I owe Kain twenty cens. Never thought that bet would pay off for him. Odds were too long."

"You and me both, though this is one bet I'm happy to lose."

"So what are you doing, standing way over here? You can't be eavesdropping; you're too far away to hear anything."

"Just making sure they aren't interrupted. Discretion and all that shit, you know."

"Why Heymans. I do believe you are a closet romantic," Jean smirked.

"Fuck off," the redhead casually advised his friend. "And don't spread it around."

"Like anyone would believe me anyway." Jean muttered as he crushed out his smoke.


	31. Chapter 31

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The missing smut chapter. Warning: explicit content. Skip it if that's not your cup of tea.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wrote this when I was a smut-writing virgin. Be gentle.

It had taken almost the entire twenty hour trip back to East City by transport truck before Ed let Roy convince him to accept the promotion that General Clayton had recommended. There was no way in hell he was going to go quietly to slow death behind a desk if he could help it, even for just the short time remaining in his military career. The Brigadier General had to reassure his youngest subordinate more than once that he could guarantee some basic conditions to his acceptance before Ed had finally agreed. First, that Ed stay active in investigations until the end of his contract, and second, that he remain under Roy’s command for the rest of that term as well. The last thing Ed wanted was to have to break in a new commander. The way his luck generally ran, it would end up being some promotion-happy jackass looking to cash in on the Fullmetal Alchemist’s performance record by sending him off on a high profile suicide mission. 

All in all, the trip back to East City had been one gigantic, stress filled ordeal for everyone. Locked in close quarters with Alphonse, Roy had looked like he wasn’t sure whether to thank the young man for giving him and Edward his dubious blessing, or ducking under the bench seat to avoid the terrifying looks he was frequently cast. The whole situation only confirmed what Edward had always suspected: that the Brigadier General was actually afraid of the younger Elric. Well, only a fool would underestimate Alphonse as an adversary, and Mustang was nobody’s fool. After the ‘Rules’ business it was likely going to take Al some time to warm up to his brother’s lover, but Edward was confident that Mustang could eventually prove his sincerity to Alphonse’ satisfaction. 

Roy had expressed scepticism when Edward had told him that the office already knew about their affair, but the enforced close quarters soon proved the younger alchemist right in no uncertain terms. Havoc had somehow determined that things were different between the two alchemists and had put in a bid for Roy’s Little Black Book. Edward had to admire his initiative, if not his diplomacy. Fuery and Breda just sat back and enjoyed having it more or less out in the open, at first taking every opportunity to make Edward the target of some good natured teasing. Havoc kept a low profile on that score, obviously happy not to be the object of his comrades’ banter for a change. Edward was finally forced to explain that there were no circumstances under which being punched by an automail fist would not result in painful injury, which quickly put a stop to the teasing. 

Maes wasn’t any help in maintaining a reasonable comfort level on the trip either, although he meant well. His efforts to keep the mood light by distracting everyone with a seemingly endless stream of photos and accompanying anecdotes had the opposite effect however. Trapped in a moving vehicle, unable to escape from the photographic onslaught, the level of desperation became almost overwhelming. When the small convoy finally reached headquarters, the soldiers occupying that particular truck fled the vehicle in a mad rush reminiscent of rats abandoning a burning ship. Frankly, Edward was astounded that everyone made it back to East City in one piece, and with their questionable sanity intact. 

The newly minted Lieutenant Colonel Elric was currently being escorted to the Brigadier General‘s home by the man himself, where he would be staying for the next few days. Using the excuse that some of the now former General Hakuro’s supporters could still be at large, Mustang had reasoned that the dorms might not be the safest place to sleep. He pointed out that as a possible target for those seeking vengeance, Edward needed a safe place to stay and vigilant protection, and who better to protect him than one Roy Mustang, Flame Alchemist? 

“Havok and Breda are going to stay with the Fuerys in shifts for the next two weeks, just in case,” Roy pointed out. He took Edward’s arm as he exited the car, and waved the driver a quick salute to send him on his way. “And Alphonse is halfway back to Central by now, so he obviously isn’t available to watch your back.” 

“Not helpless. I’d be safe in the dorms. Maybe safer.” Ed tried, not very enthusiastically, to loosen the older man’s grip on his arm. “I’m hungry and tired. I want to get something to eat and go to sleep. Your one track mind pretty much guarantees that once I step through that door I won’t be doing ether any time soon.” 

“Relax Edward. It’s not like I’m going to start pawing you the minute you’re inside.” Roy turned on his sweet, innocent puppy look, and Ed rolled his eyes. 

Roy opened the front door and Ed strolled through, hands in his pockets. As soon as they were both inside, the Flame turned to grasp two handfuls of Ed’s jacket at the shoulders. Smirking, he backed Edward against the closed door, pressing his body against the other’s as he leaned in. Roy’s mouth descended on already parted lips, his tongue tracing lightly over before slipping between them. Ed’s hands stroked up Roy’s sides, caressing through the coarse cloth of his uniform, his left hand settling on Roy’s nape, fingers toying with fine, black hair. The automail hand dropped to press against the door, giving him more leverage to arch into the body pressed against him.

Roy let go of Ed’s jacket, one hand curving inside, around to the small of his back, slipping up under his shirt. The other smoothed across Ed’s chest, brushing the jacket from his automail shoulder, then cupped his jaw to change the angle of the kiss, deepening it. The need to breath finally broke them apart. 

“Still want to sleep?” Roy purred, fingernails tracing lazy patterns on the supple skin of Edward’s back. 

“You’re an asshole,” Ed growled, pulling Roy back to give that smirking mouth something better to do. 

Roy soon broke away again, to trail kisses and nips over the younger man’s throat and collar bone, causing his victim’s head to fall back against the door, giving him better access. The Brigadier General, always the opportunist, managed to rid Edward of his jacket and his belt while he was distracted, then traced around the waistband of the blond’s pants, fingers dipping slightly, teasing against warm skin. 

“I’m sorry Edward. I wasn’t completely honest with you,” the Flame whispered. “Bringing you here to sleep was only a very small part of my plan.” 

“Well, that’s okay I guess. The bed is really comfortable for sleeping, but sex sounds like a pretty good idea, too,” was Ed’s breathless reply. The young alchemist slowly unbuttoned his commanding officer’s uniform jacket and then pushed it off his shoulders to drop to the floor. 

“Pretty good?” Mustang growled, nipping the skin just below his young lover’s ear, earning a gasp. “Just ‘pretty good’?” he breathed as he pushed a knee between the smaller man’s legs and pressed a palm over the boy’s growing bulge, fingers lightly stroking underneath. “Would you like to rephrase that?” 

Edward’s eyes closed as his head tilted back, but he still managed to finish unbuttoning Roy’s shirt and push it off his shoulders as well. The older man let it slip to the floor as Ed tackled the new obstacle of a white undershirt, sliding it up. “Done talking. Busy.” the young man managed, then darted his tongue out to tease a nipple. 

The sensation arrowed straight to Roy’s groin. Grabbing two handfuls of Ed’s ass, he ground against his partner with a growl. “For a genius, you’re rather ineloquent, Fullmetal.” Roy sank to his knees, pulling Edward down with him, settling the younger man astride his lap. 

“It’s always a big fucking discussion with you,” Ed moaned as Roy’s hands skimmed slowly up his inner thighs, skirting around where he wanted friction the most, then up over his hips, down under his ass, retreating back towards his knees. “Let’s see if we can’t shut you up.” 

Ed leaned back against the door, again bracing his automail arm behind him, and reached for Roy's hand, gently lifting it to his lips. Carefully he bit into the white cloth of the glove at the tip of the index finger and pulled it from the unresisting hand, letting it drop. He then traced his tongue over long, calloused fingers, running the tip over and between them. He drew two of them into his mouth and sucked, feeling them move against his tongue, moaning as they caressed the inside of his mouth, and he sucked them deeper. 

Roy growled quietly, then the fingers were jerked away and replaced with Roy’s tongue, hot and demanding. Roy's hand moved back under Edward’s jaw, tilting his head up for better access as he pushed deep into the younger man’s mouth. 

Edward gave himself up to the kiss, leaning forward, inviting Roy deeper, drawing him closer as his flesh arm curled tightly around his lover’s back. Roy pulled him roughly against his chest, his grip close to bruising, balanced on the fine edge of control. 

Edward writhed against him, and Roy groaned into the blond’s mouth. His fingers threaded through Edward’s thick hair, pulling out the tie to spread the spun gold loose around his shoulders. Edward pulled away, panting, and nuzzled under Roy’s chin, where he began licking and sucking at the skin hungrily, feeling the man’s pulse beating against his lips. Roy gasped as teeth nipped lightly at his throat. 

“. . . bed . . .” the older man breathed into his lover’s ear. 

Edward looked up the seemingly endless flight of stairs. The bed might as well have been on Briggs Mountain. “. . . too far . . .” he whispered against the pale skin of his lover’s throat. 

“. . . rug burn . . .” Roy moaned softly as Edward traced lips down the centre of his chest. 

“ . . . don’t care . . .” 

“. . . I do, Ed . . .” Roy put his hands around the young man’s waist and gently tried to ease him away. 

Ed locked his legs around the other’s waist, and unwrapped his arms from around Roy’s back just long enough to clap his hands, then the older man’s clothes were blue and white confetti around them. Edward’s flesh hand slipped between Roy’s legs, touching, stroking, teasing. “Discussion over,” he growled softly. 

Roy’s eyes were locked to Edward’s as he conceded and slowly eased the teen to the floor, pulling at the rest of his lover’s clothing, trying to gain access. Roy finally managed to jerk Edward's zipper open. The younger alchemist slid leather clad legs against the outside of his lover’s thighs as the older man slipped his hand inside the pants, shoving the boxers out of the way, sighing when the fully erect cock met his hand. It twitched against his palm as he squeezed and stroked its hardened length. Supporting his weight on one elbow, Roy threaded his fingers into his lover’s golden hair, gripping it tightly, and dipped to claim his mouth again. 

Ed twisted his head, trying to pull away from under Roy's mouth, but Roy’s fingers were tightly woven into his hair and wouldn't let him move. It only made Ed more frantic, head held still while Roy fucked his mouth with his tongue. He began arching his back, rubbing himself against Roy’s hand, clutching the older man’s hips. Roy slowly eased back until his lover was able to bring his hands together and add his own clothing to the scatter of confetti around them. 

Roy lifted Ed’s flesh leg over his shoulder and spread him open, moving his own hips lower, approaching the place he wanted to fill, nudging it with his tip, Edward’s soft whimper encouraging him. Roy reached around to quickly sift through the shredded wool and cotton, finally coming up with a small tube of lube. He coated the palm of his hand, then slid it between them to coat his cock. 

Edward knew this was going to be rough on the thinly carpeted floor of the hallway, but he didn't care. He spread his legs wider and guided Roy to the small opening, panting, eyes wild. Feeling the pressure and desperate for what was to come, he relaxed, waiting for Roy to push inside. It wasn't fast enough. Why was Roy taking so long? 

"Hurry, Roy. I need you. Please." He pushed upward, tilting his hips. 

Roy's eyes snapped to Edward’s face, the intensity of his passion burning in their depths. He paused for just a second more, and then Edward felt himself pressed open by a hot thickness, all his nerves ablaze as Roy pushed into him steadily. He sighed in relief when Roy's hips finally touched his, and looked up at his lover breathing heavily above him. 

Roy began to move in long strokes, slowly at first, then picking up speed, slamming into Edward’s hips even as the younger man thrust upward, lost to the sensation. Edward felt like his body was on fire, every thrust sending him closer to the edge. He again wrapped his legs around Roy’s hips, urging him on, feeling powerful muscles contract between his thighs as Roy drove into him. 

Roy's body was wet with sweat; slick under Edward’s clutching hands. The pressure inside the younger man built to an unbearable level, impossible to hold back. Wrapping his flesh hand around his weeping erection, automail fingers shredding the rug, he cried out as all his pent up desire suddenly surged through his body to spill in waves across their chests, making him shudder helplessly as the world grayed out. He was vaguely aware of Roy convulsing as a soft groan escaped him, a flood of warmth spreading inside. 

As his body relaxed, Edward’s awareness returned. He opened his eyes. Roy leaned over him on his elbows, eyes closed, still inside him, breathing heavily, sweat sheening his body, so beautiful in the afterward. 

Then Roy opened his eyes, and Edward saw what he’d thought he’d only imagined there before. A heat more intense, more possessive, more passionate than simple lust. He knew Roy was finding the same thing in Ed’s eyes. 

“I love you,” Edward whispered. “But now I need to add a shower to my ‘to do’ list.” 

“I love you,” Roy whispered back. “And I had envisioned a much more romantic encounter for our first time as an official couple, but . . . well. I guess I’ll just have to join you for that shower and see if I can get it right this time.” 

“Well, if you don’t, we have all night. You can always keep trying.” 

“My thoughts exactly, love.”


	32. Chapter 32

Epilogue

He could hear the phone ringing as he unlocked the door, so Roy Mustang hurried inside away from the early Spring cold, put down his suitcases, and answered it.

"Mustang-Elric residence," he said, and smirked at the sound of that. He and Ed had only been living together for about a month, and with all the traveling Roy had been doing on the campaign trail lately he was rarely home, so the words still tasted new and delicious.

"May I speak with Edward Elric please?" a familiar baritone asked confidently.

"He's not able to come to the phone right now," Roy returned, the sound of the shower cueing Roy to his lover's whereabouts. He wracked his brain to match that voice to a name, then gave up. "May I ask who's calling?"

"This is Mike Roach, Prime Minister Thomas' personal secretary. Edward and I met briefly today in his office."

Ah yes, he knew that voice was familiar. Roy frowned. How did he end up on a first name basis with Ed? The man was a notorious player. "Would you like to leave a message?"

"Most certainly. Pursuant to the permanent contract we discussed this afternoon, I was wondering if he would like to join me for dinner and give me a chance to change his mind about taking it. I'm sure the Prime Minister's office could sweeten the deal to his satisfaction. All he has to do is name his terms."

Roy's frown deepened. "I'll be sure to pass along your message; however Mr. Elric has no interest in a permanent position in any capacity at this time. His services are for hire strictly on a freelance basis. Furthermore, he prefers to conduct business professionally from his office, not socially from a restaurant."

"Well, to be honest, business isn't all that I had in mind to conduct," the other man said, the smirk obvious in his tone, and Roy realized that Roach hadn't recognized his voice either. Knowing the other man's affluent background, he had likely mistaken Roy for a manservant. Well, it had been nearly six months since last they'd spoken, and Roy was supposed to be out of Central at the moment.

"Oh, is that so?" Roy rubbed his fingers against his thumb reflexively. "Perhaps you weren't aware, but Mr. Elric is currently in a committed relationship . . ."

"I thought perhaps Mr. Elric would enjoy a little innocent social interaction while General Mustang is out of town, and since the man's not due back to Central until the end of the week, young Edward might enjoy spending some time in the company of . . ."

"With me." Roy ended firmly.

Dead silence. Then, a nervous, "Oh. Roy. Home, are you?"

"Yes Mike. And just so you know, I don't take kindly to poachers. Consider this a friendly warning. Your next warning will be decidedly unfriendly, and will involve a practical demonstration of my alchemical expertise."

The dial tone was Roy's only response. Mission accomplished. And just in time, as the rattling pipes announced that his shower was over and a clean, refreshed Edward was soon to make an appearance.

Roy peered up from the bottom of the stairs, and sure enough, Edward did indeed appear, a towel slung low around his hips, another rubbing at his damp hair.

"Roy! You're back early! How were things out in West Armpit, or where ever the hell it was that you were campaigning?"

"Same old thing. Smile a few smiles, shake a few hands, reassure a few nervous people that all is well, and that I am their best bet to keep it that way."

"I thought I heard the phone just now."

"You did. Mike Roach called. Something about dinner and a permanent contract."

"I already told him I wasn't interested. In either. The guy's a total sleaze ball. Kind of reminds me of you," Ed grinned down at him cheekily.

"Ah, so you don't have a date for the evening Fullmetal?"

"Quite the contrary General, I do," Edward said, smiling broadly. "Now get your ass up here so I can greet you properly."

The General didn't need an engraved invitation. He was up the stairs and had the towel off his lover in no time flat.

"I'm thinking dinner on the Boardwalk. Later. You know how I love showing you off."

"Not your publicity shot, Mustang."

"Dining in it is, then, my dear Fullmetal. Just like the good old days."

Ah, it was _so_ good to be home at last.


End file.
